I am interested in taking part in a conversation that occurs when man-made forms are brought together with natural elements of the earth. With reference to ceremonial masks, ancestral icons, burnt offerings, and fertility deities, my abstract work is influenced by an interest in the rites and rituals of Oceanic cultures, that of Easter Island, and of African tribal groups. Their practices are messages of guidance which exhibit ways that others have migrated through the complicated life changes of birth and growth, then on into death.
The impetus of this work is the overpowering human instinct to move forward regardless of obstacles and to find a balance in our lives. The focus is time, aging, and the inevitable movement through life. It is about taking what is difficult and turning it into strength and beauty. I gravitate toward salvaged wood, brick, and metal; objects which are similar in their physical evidence of age and use. When brought together in sculptural form, delicate and bold objects are combined to create a balance which celebrates the strength of life. The recent work is a glimpse at a period in my evolution as an artist where abstract form personifies the strength of the human spirit. The forms exist as landmarks along my own life journey.