Artist Statement

I work in an organic way — mirroring the materials I employ such as silk, oxidized metal and felt. My progression as an artist has involved a variety of over-lapping disciplines: design, painting, collage, fiber and installation. In recent years my art has evolved into sculptural forms.

My concerns regarding edges, layers, palette and repetition are in direct relationship to my earlier processes — a brush stroke becomes a torn piece of gauze, repetitive pencil lines mutate into the stacked edges of felt.

Many of the materials I begin with have already been altered through the passage of time such as oxidized metal, cocoons, or silk yarn. Also my previous work has served as a springboard for new forms. The subsequent incarnation is created by cutting, tearing, bending and dynamic re-configuration. Often this occurs after a long period of gestation. Because of this recycling of materials either through weather or my own climate of growth and change, many of my pieces evoke not only transformation, but also memory.

Despite the disparity and range of materials, I summon a neutral palette. This not only unifies, but also encourages the viewer towards a subtle experience of hue, value, relationship and nuance.

My work is not narrative, though the pieces may inspire a variety of interpretations and associations. However the pieces do consist of a dichotomy of materials that suggest the masculine and feminine. The steel and aluminum are hard, obdurate and opaque which evoke a masculine presence. In contrast, diaphanous and/or pliant fibers such as tulle, handmade paper, silks, thread and felt evoke the feminine aspect. Despite this polarization, a consistent and unifying vulnerability is revealed, either through bending, decomposing of the metals or the inherent fragility of fibrous substances. The forms attempt to bring these elements into relationship and balance both physically and in regards to comparison and contrast. In my process it's as if each requires the other for completion.

My work expresses the paradox of simultaneous opposition and unification. Perhaps for me, this is both personal and global — rooted in consciousness and the mystery of nature.