Artist Statement

I thought I would put my artist statement here:

I am an interdisciplinary artist examining the transcendent in the light of the connection between the ancient and the contemporary.

I work with materials of all kinds – fabrics, metals, found objects, photographs, dyes, inks, wood, clay, glass and paper – to create sculptures, tapestries, garment- and jewelry-inspired artwork. I paint with encaustic paints, on wood, on paper, on fabric or plaster sculptures. I constantly look to blur the line between art and craft; a line that I see as a historically arbitrary social construction. I believe in questioning the status quo.

Read more...
My projects are sometimes intricate without seeming so, often containing thousands of knots or stitches or hundreds of small incremental steps. I am intrigued by process – the steady stitching or knotting of the cords, the careful laying in of yarns in a tapestry, the gradual buildup of molten metal in welded sculptures, or layers of pigmented wax in an encaustic painting, the position of my hands and the repetitive movements they make – all of which tends to provide/create a contemplative and reflective practice that centers me as an artist and a person.

As an interdisciplinary artist I examine possibilities. I study the connections between art and life, context and concept, inspiration and artifact. I have come to understand that art is giving ideas shape; art is the conscious use of creative imagination, and is in no way limited to the traditional forms historically imposed, but encompasses and includes a great many things.

My exploration and research includes examining garment and identity (garment as metaphor for power/powerlessness, individuality/conformity, and secularity/spirituality/ religiosity), historical fiber and textile techniques with an emphasis on women’s traditional art forms. I use story as a method for communicating the ideas I explore, implementing both the written/spoken word in the integration of story and visual art.

As an interdisciplinary artist I weave together the various parts of my understandings, experiences and involvements as a fabric for my artwork. I spin the threads of my ever-changing awareness of history, sociology, archeology, anthropology, earth science, feminism, queer theory, transcendence, music, science fiction, politics, mass media, workplace milieu and domestic life into rich material for art.

*************************************************************************************