STATEMENT
My forms are inspired from structures found in nature, structures that resonate on a subliminal level. I search for those structures that carry an unarticulated significance - meanings embedded in layers that speak to our subconscious.
A group of mid-century Japanese artists named Gutai declared their work was the result of investigating the possibilities of calling the material to life. They believed that in the material new life would be discovered and this life would call forth a tremendous scream from the material itself. The notion that material is laden with meaning is one that I explore in my practice.
As we advance in age, our sense of being useful diminishes, and belief in our personal value may be lost. But with loss comes acceptance: we enter into the world with tightly clenched fists, yet we leave life with our hands opened. It is through loss that we learn to relinquish. The forms mirror the ephemerality of life with its reduction of functionality and residue of decay.
A series of flimsy gourds crocheted from a single strand of galvanized wire is a metaphor for vulnerability, frailty and mortality. Hidden within, the reproductive capability contains time: the past with its history and the future with its potential are concealed and protected by a durable exterior casing.
In all my works the sculptural materials are limited. This coincides with a Minimalist aesthetic. However, like other post Minimalists, I am additionally concerned with metaphor, emotional expression and the presence of the artist’s hand. The effects of time also continue the process; humble materials lend themselves to decay and rust, where the concepts of transience and ephemerality are manifested metaphorically.
These sculptures all have a poetic and lyrical quality that encourage the viewer to reflect on life, death and transformation. They explore the mysterious quality of organisms and their degenerative and regenerative aspects. The impermanence of my work and its deterioration references the passage of time and states of being. I find the place of morphing representation to be a rich one to explore.