Artist Statement

Fascinated by our spiritual relationship to the universe, I make mixed media work to explore inner states of being and the seemingly contradictory feelings that coexist within us. We feel private, yet exposed; we feel energized, yet we possess an inner stillness; we constantly question, yet feel sure. We can be one thing on the surface and something altogether different within.

Rather than discarding or denying these contradictions, I feel they are what make us complex and interesting. In both life and in my work, even the most flawed or imperfect elements become an essential part of the process of becoming whole, or more fully who we are. Finding beauty in unexpected places, I integrate recycled elements with more typical artist materials like oil paint, photographs, and encaustic made from beeswax, resin and colored pigments. I often incorporate elements that are normally discarded such as rusted metal, old wood, hair from the stylist’s floor, scraps of old newspaper or burlap, or thrift store markdowns.

It isn’t essential to me that the viewer recognizes the materials that make up a finished piece, but the transformation that occurs is intrinsic to my artistic process. An abandoned cart axle becomes a mystical temple, a rusted roof tile becomes a prayer book, and a photographic image submerged in wax and paint takes on new meaning.