STATEMENT OF WORK

My practice is a material based inquiry in search of intersections between craft, art and design. I use analogue processes and work abstractly, without an explicit narrative.  Relying upon intuition, I create enigmatic hybrid objects for contemplation.  The work celebrates the pleasures of form, pattern, color and craft, while emphasizing the handmade as a counterpoint to the chaos of the world around us.  I am interested in the way the hand can slow the eye to engage the mind.  

In the studio, I explore the alchemy that occurs when various materials and processes are brought together to form an object.  My recent wall sculptures are labor intensive endeavors juxtaposing a range of materials and hand processes. The works are modeled, carved, collaged, stamped, felted, stained, abraded, leafed and painted. I utilize a collection of inherited neckties and fabric scraps from family sewing projects—intimate materials that speak about who we are and what we do, and I add to my personal palette with fabric sourced from diverse geographies and histories. I seek donations, search the internet and scour estate sales, focusing on fabrics and textiles to repurpose—quilt maker’s scrap, dutch wax fabrics, vintage kimonos, and accessories that have been cherished at one time and subsequently abandoned. In response to colors and patterns in the fabric, I piece together fragments and build up layers, creating a melting pot of material that is somehow made more beautiful in the process.  

Curiosity is at the heart of my work. I avoid developing a linear construction of meaning, instead exploring possibilities with material interactions and accidents through experimentation. I am involved in a continual negotiation between two and three dimensions, and an elusive search for presence.