Artist Statement

I am investigating how the body interacts with the world around it, why we change ourselves, and how that affects our perception of what surrounds. When creating works, I explore themes of the body, expression, nature, identity, gender, movement, and imagination within the mundane. I take situations from dreams, strange character occurrences, and elements of nature to combine into pieces that are interdisciplinary. Creating a conversation between myself and a multitude of mediums and processes to shape these themes into physical objects.  

Using the mediums of woodworking, printmaking, metal working, ceramics, and dance to manifest the internal. While working with wood, I create pieces that are both useful, and encourage play, dance, and inspire creation upon their surfaces. I also work with carving to create sculptures exploring movement of the body and nature, along with adding textural elements to other woodworking projects. When carving wood, sculpting clay, and printmaking I find myself falling into an improvisational play space, listening to the material and reacting to how it wants to express the idea I have in my head. When printmaking I start with chalk pencils on my block, sketching an idea with light colors and gradually bringing the colors deeper while I solidify my idea. Once the key lines are solid I refine them with my knives. Leaving spaces for small details the viewer might never notice, an ant holding binoculars, or flowers in a vase that are secretly electrical plugs. When using metal it can be a completely opposite experience, taking the material and forcing it into position. Creating hollow 3D forms that interact with my wood pieces, whether they are alien organics that live inside of them, or embellished hardware living on the surface. I bring mediums together to create a tactile experience for the viewer. Bringing them into my mind and showing what words can’t.