Statement

I believe in second chances. My work offers second chances to pushed-aside materials and objects, exposing what is considered useless or invisible. My own loss and trauma draw me to this practice and these materials. The theft, and subsequent total loss, of a body of work in 2018 emotionally crippled me for a time. It was produced after my mother’s passing addressing the tumultuous and complex relationship of mothers and children. As I emerged in 2021 and slowly began to create again, I found solace in continuing to resurrect objects from the past. Because I had felt useless, a creator without creations, I resonated with these pushed aside, and discarded items. I discovered that with loss and trauma there is strength and survivorship but also ultimately repair. 

Each piece begins with reclaimed objects that are no longer useful for their intended purpose, discarded or buried in deep corners of closets and storage units. Presented as sculptural mixed media, each one is driven by the nature of its source material. I join each item’s history with a new future. By altering these objects, I retell their story. Each piece is inspired by personal exploration. The Walking Canes are in direct response to my sister’s Parkinson’s while the Top Hat speaks to my first artistic inspiration – my grandfather. In the miniature Hummingbird, a Gibson guitar containing a replicated basement shows how out of abuse rose music. The Inner Child, created from a tattered pillowcase, exposes the shared experience of suppressing the frightened inner child that I believe we all have inside of us.

From tiny to enormous, scale is a key factor in the work. The challenge of scale, combined with often surprising placement, breaks expectations for any given object, allowing for new perspective. Highly representational tiny scale model environments are contained inside objects once precious and defining to their owners, such as a pan, a shoe or a toilet. Additional near-exact-replica scale pieces address topics such as challenged mobility, as in my Walking Canes constructed of spiraling staircases. Discarded bedlinens, pillowcases, rags, dish towels, and other cloths that hold memory are morphed into small to large scale pieces. The tattered and stained fabrics are carefully hand embroidered and repurposed with respect for their history. For example, bedspreads become wall hangings harkening to the days of quilting and the community work of woman. 

The work prods the viewer to lend their own experience to a narrative that is constructed within each piece. Wonder at beauty is contained in each work, inviting the viewer to come close, and they also allow space for hard discussions of women’s place, disease, aging, reproductive rights, abuse, and assault. The objects, as they transcend their original intent, become a shared experience. They connect the viewer to their own moment of introspection, creating space for deeper societal and cultural discussions.