Artist Statement

The investigation of ecological relationships within society and the landscape is the basis of my current work and research. As an interdisciplinary artist, I create sites specific installations that resonate with the materiality and rhythms of the natural world. My most recent works intertwine the sculptural manipulation of wire and handmade paper, cast bronze, found objects, and large format books arts. I am an observer, collector, fabricator, and instigator of thought and haptic experience. Throughout my creative process I employ techniques that crisscross the boundaries of contemporary craft, sculpture, installation, and digital media. My interest in the contemporary craft movement stems from my passion for the art of hand papermaking. I have refined my expertise of this art over the last seven years and utilize my knowledge of the process to create intellectual work in a contemporary context using an ancient craft. Research, both material and scholarly, is a critical component of my studio practice. Collecting, testing, and discovering the properties of invasive plant fibers to be used in papermaking and sculpture is a catalyst for inspiration. Researching the history of the landscape where the plants were collected and the history and systems of the plants themselves allows me to develop content and reveal the relationships I discover through drawings and sculpture. This distinct process of material selection allows me to physically embed elements of regional specificity and conceptual implications into my work. As an active participant in the growing genre of Eco-Art, I am interested in how art can address the natural world and interconnect with the physical actions of a growing living environment to engage and inspire communities and individuals.

---