Artist's Statement

Some of my found object art pieces start with a visceral attraction to the materials. Other pieces develop from claiming an object as a symbol in my system of meaning. Using primarily reclaimed materials is a big part of my system of meaning.

When I choose elements I am seeing beyond the dirt and ugliness to a world of beautiful patterns, gestures, shapes and colors. I am seeking treasure in the trash. I want to see and reveal the order in the chaos. I have to solve the problem of how to change and present these things in a way that others can see something of what I see.

Everything around us comes from somewhere and goes somewhere when we discard it. Often, communities of living beings of all kinds suffer losses in the process. I want to accept responsibility for some of this. I want to acknowledge the costs. I want to put more value on man-made and man-broken things, and say that it does matter. I care about what happens to people, places and things. Everything is connected.