I was born in Ohio, attended college in Syracuse, NY, and spent several years in graduate school at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, earning an M.A. (with thesis) and an M.F.A. (with dissertation). I consider the East and the Southwest my spiritual homes, but I am open to experiencing other places, as each location has its own personality, if one has the time to get to know it. Each of the places I have inhabited informs my art, as connections to the land, mythology, people, flora, and fauna offer new knowledge and inspiration.
As a child, I collected insects, rocks, and shells. In the Southwest, I collected artifacts and dried plant material, man-made detritus and other preserved specimens which were so readily available due to the climate. It was compelling to think about the many objects that remain after the living things that have used them are gone. Each specimen – no matter what material – has been saved because it tells a story, harbors a mystery, or carries a memory.
The specific context that objects embody for me is something that is nearly impossible to translate visually, yet there is a symbolic meaning that we all recognize in an intuitive way. So, if I use a moth that I found in the woods as a part of my painting, I know that viewers will bring various associations with that species or with moths in general to their understanding of that work, but they cannot know the specific memory of finding that specimen or what association it has for me. And, that’s fine – the work is not about me, and it has to outlast me. It is more interesting if a work of art shares a personal story with what each viewer brings to the piece and discovers over time.
I welcome your comments.
As a child, I collected insects, rocks, and shells. In the Southwest, I collected artifacts and dried plant material, man-made detritus and other preserved specimens which were so readily available due to the climate. It was compelling to think about the many objects that remain after the living things that have used them are gone. Each specimen – no matter what material – has been saved because it tells a story, harbors a mystery, or carries a memory.
The specific context that objects embody for me is something that is nearly impossible to translate visually, yet there is a symbolic meaning that we all recognize in an intuitive way. So, if I use a moth that I found in the woods as a part of my painting, I know that viewers will bring various associations with that species or with moths in general to their understanding of that work, but they cannot know the specific memory of finding that specimen or what association it has for me. And, that’s fine – the work is not about me, and it has to outlast me. It is more interesting if a work of art shares a personal story with what each viewer brings to the piece and discovers over time.
I welcome your comments.