Artist Statement

Artist Statement

My work investigates the rules that humans build for animals and how those rules parallel human interactions in social relationships.  Playing on absurdity, hope and tragedy, the objects that I create often parallel my own journey as a means of comprehending and documenting the complex relationships we come into contact with on daily basis. Laws and regulations, community access to resources, and personal interactions all serve as inspiration for the pieces that I create. 

Often pulled apart, abstracted, replicated, melted, or hybridized, the state of the object is an attempt at understanding and finding beauty in the demands of circumstance.  As a multi-material maker, I am drawn to repetition and complex material procedures. I embed meaning into my work through process and careful material selections and juxtapositions.  Textures, created from the thoughtful application of materials, are often a key component to luring the viewer into touching items that are both enticing and forbidden.  This textural strategy mimics our interactions with the natural environment, which we long to control and experience on our own terms.