Story

I’ve always been a collector of well-designed unique objects: old toys, American Indian crafts, ceramics, and in recent years pop culture images such as cartoon characters and super heroes. The later objects have led me to understand our present civilization, and even past history, through products made in a particular era.  All of us have a mental warehouse of memories.  My desire is to trigger memories from that warehouse upon seeing an object or character remembered from one’s past (Sponge Bob, Shrek, Superman, for instance, icons representative of eras either recent or long ago).

I’m an obsessive visual learner.  I love to collect that which appeals to me and then use those objects to construct symbols.  When making choices about pieces to incorporate in my work, I’m particular about color, scale, subject matter, and condition.

I am always experimenting.  My most recent materials challenge me in learning to use new tools and processes of working with mediums I have not previously explored.  In the past, clay was a predominant medium for me, but over the years I have incorporated metal, wood, granite, and plastic.  Lately, I’ve used toys as “building blocks,” assembling them into simple recognizable symbols.  An example is the piece “Electric” from my Toys Are Us series.

Threads that reoccur consistently throughout my work are symmetry, humor, optical kinetics, and simplicity of form and color.  A viewer traveling around the pieces will see something different from every angle.

The ultimate goal of my art, as a visual performance, is to share my celebration of life with others.

“I like to alter reality and invent new experiences, making the unbelievable seem believable.  Through enhanced prespective, I create a visual illusion which allows the viewer to peer into a futuristic environment.  This illusion is also the result of the interplay between the scene and the performance.  The scenes appear to penetrate infinitely inward, creating more space than actually exists.  Each piece offers a unique experience, with moving thoughts which reveal themselves as the viewer circles the sphere.”