Artist's Statement

My art is entirely visual, reaching emotion through our eyes; it is not a conceptual statement. While I do not disparage art that seeks to make social commentary on our contemporary situation, or reference its own history, I think there is a need for art that seeks to communicate simply on a visual level. Art probably cannot ever be created independent of the influence of its time, but commentary on it is not a direct subject of my work; I am not seeking to confront our times. Nor of course can any artist be independent of the art exploration that has preceded us; I hope my work adds to that stream. I also hope that my images, which are organic and which are not machine-precise, reflect our humanity. Too often we are remote from our own humanity.

Art doesn't have to be beautiful or easily accessed, but I do hope that it is transformative.

In my sculpture, I work with natural materials: wood, stone, bronze, plaster. The color of the work is the color of the material. In my two-dimensional work, I work with a limited color palette. Shades of black and white provide me with enough challenge and variety. Sometimes I make images I hope reflect the aesthetic of a crude tool or an icon made by hand, not by machine. Often my work is contained in a circle which is a comforting shape, a reliable form, a mandala. Often there is a repetitive pattern or motif, though rarely a precise one. Repetition is seductive and comforting as well. Life can be chaotic and so we seek to organize our experience in patterns, and I am often doing that as well in my work.