ARTIST STATEMENT

I work primarily with post-consumer recycled materials. Everything has been discarded from its original owner or is a by-product of organic or industrial production. I am fascinated by the history and energy of objects, particularly found objects. I am less concerned with an object’s original purpose and more interested in the evidence of life a thing wears upon the surface. We all interact with hundreds of objects and materials every day whether they are adored treasures or complete throwaways. Our lives are interconnected with this commonplace matter.

My materials inspire my work. I start by collecting items as unconsciously as possible from my stashes, inspired by color, texture, and shape. Some are left the way they are but many are altered through dyeing, paint, and further distressing. The process then becomes a kind of meditative puzzle to find the connections between objects. I never know ahead of time what the final results will be.

Fabric has such an intimate connection with the human body, both physically and emotionally. It contains a history in the form of its construction methods whether by machine or by hand. It references time and culture through fashion trends and iconic garments connected to life transitions, such as baby clothes, wedding dresses, and hand-embroidered gifts. I am drawn to its history and flexibility as a material and the sculptural possibilities it presents.

I am fascinated with the relationships between decay and fecundity, repulsion and seduction, chaos and order. The compost of life creates new growth, whether that is the literal forest floor feeding new life or the wounds and scars of human life that bring forth strength and change.