The stuff and junk we produce and use speak to me—the twist of wire in the street, the debris left over from a house remodel, the plastic toy found in the dirt, the .38’s found in my grandmother’s sewing basket, the paper and photos, rusted steel and old machine parts, the wooden spoon from the flea market, the fragments of safety glass in the parking lot of a Walmart, the bits of washed up and worn-smooth junk on the beach. I am attracted to the history they embody, the patterns of wear and use, the evidence of being part of someone’s life. I find and gather and collect all manner of materials and use them in assemblage pieces and sculptures.

I work across the spectrum of techniques and materials, taking as inspiration and direction the world of human existence. I am inspired by the works of many artists: the paintings of Francis Bacon, the quilts of Nancy Crow, the paintings of Michael Kvium, and the steel of Richard Serra, as well as work by Joseph Cornell, Kurt Schwitters, and Jean Tinguely. I have been creating animal sculptures for about twenty years; I am inspired by the unique personalities that each animal sculpture possesses. I am captivated by what makes a particular animal unique - its movements, the way it holds its head or tail, etc. I enjoy the challenge of finding specific found objects that support each animal’s personality. I seek to create that uniqueness in my animal sculptures – such as the “squirreliness” of a squirrel, or the “monkiness” of a monkey. Usually, I spend time researching an animal before I look for the appropriate found objects that will go into making the animal, but sometimes, materials gather and conspire, themselves directing the building of a specific animal.

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