ARTIST STATEMENT

As an artist, I am a storyteller. That means that when I tell a story, it is with the audience in mind. It also means that I closely observe to find that people, places, and things are what they are, but they can also be something else. I have a tendency to think in words, so my life is rich in patterns and descriptors but poor on a defining point. Although I will share a wealth of information, there is always a bit I keep just inside myself.

Translated to my visual artwork, I use representational imagery because it is most discernible to others. I often use children as subject matter because, like me, they will take any material, object, or situation and use it to fulfill the necessity of the moment. Conveniently, too, childhood is an experience we share, and children are our projection into the future. I collect throwaways to paint on or transform because they have a history, a tale of their own to tell. I glory in cliché because it can be such shorthand for conveying something. I know that everything in this universe-- in this multi-verse-- has a secret. And I can catch a glimpse of it if I just watch and do and do and watch.

My hope for folks experiencing my artwork is that they take the time to peel away the layers of information, find those parts that they have in common, and recall a feeling, a story, a secret that they might have forgotten or didn't know that they had.