Artistic Philosophy and Process

Organic forms of containment representing life or aspects of it,
thousands of fragile parts woven, melding,
overlapping layer upon layer upon layer,
emerging into shapes of strength and beauty.

Nest, cocoon, shelter,
it is as if I am the insect doing my part in creating that form
that contains and surrounds,
allowing my works and me to be grafted.

What lies inside, whether threatful and ominous, or full of exaltation,
it is the mixed bag of life,
dealing us what is to come,
no control with my control.

My part in building that perfect new description,
that apparent simplicity,
the essence of a natural order,
that just feels right.

My work is about having as much control as possible to guide important life situations, knowing our influence is minimal. It is about never giving up in trying to establish that protection and/or happiness for our loved ones, while all the time knowing we cannot bend nature but must work with her. It is about our environment and strong ties of love towards it, coupled with that knowledge of how we need to work with her in order to “work the odds.”

It was recently told to me that the piece Working the Odds looked like something you’d see on a walk through the woods, like a long tear drop showing the sadness of our environmental mistakes and lack of wisdom. The material, connective entwining roots of specific size, color, dimension and texture are sewn with curved needles and wire never using a spot of glue. Once again showing us a woven strategically put together natural organic though manipulated design, which surrounds. It is about the acceptance of the realization that we do not have complete control so we must work with nature to help in that end.

My pieces, which are shelters, are metaphors of life. We become the insect constructing the cocoon. My materials often of nature, wood, handmade paper, string algae, varied dirt, sand, roots, stone, hay etc. allude to her, larger than us all. If we do it correctly, it is what ultimately gives us solace.

These pieces are of millions of fragile parts that are manipulated, cut, formed, drilled, sewn, wired, lashed, strapped, slashed or layers woven tightly together creating a high tensile strength, working in and out, through and around, up and down, establishing a beautiful order until the form has been determined. The ultimate structure is symbolic of life and to life, what I do with it, to the good and the bad, to the whole package. Is the shell safe or does it present real danger?

Femme Fatale draws you in with intelligence and beauty, hence your need to weave, pattern, guide and spin. Fragile, because in the large scope of things we and our issues are tiny.

The piece entitled Keeping a Perspective is a humorous reminder that in the big picture we are no larger than a small bird in a small cage. Knowing that, our issues lose some scale and we can regain some peace.

My Inning embodies out efforts to direct and protect those who are most important to us. Knowing we cannot really have control, but trying to have an important effect, we work in symbiosis with nature. It is our turn at bat to try to make life work as we wish. What we think is a shelter may turn out to be a threat as our efforts may be to now avail. This is part of a series of cocoon and hive-like structures.

My pieces, Do What We Can, Layers, Building Armor, Nest, Pod, Hive, Chrysalis, My Inning, etc., are all metaphors, all the creation of my attempts. I am the insect working with nature. We are all the insects doing our part.