ARTIST STATEMENT

I think that three of the biggest Concepts present in my work include the ideas of family, tradition, and relations.  My own personal experiences with my family have influenced me a great deal.  The traditions surrounding my heritage are rather old and extensive.   I have also found through my own personal observations, that the family dynamics can become rather complicated and even tense in certain situations.

I am drawn to a variety of media including: photography, ceramics, wood, printmaking and fibers.  With all of these materials, the primary qualities that I try to incorporate include the use of texture, unity, and balance (both physically with sculpture and visually with 2-D work.  All of these attributes relate back to my original ideas in a number of ways.  For instance, by including texture in a number of the pieces, I create the tension that is seen in a number of familial relationships.  In contrast to this, by promoting the smoothness found in other examples of my work, the more benign and comforting side of these relationships is shown.  The concept of traditions and generational conflicts can also been seen in the colors that are present in my work.  The rich dark colors, versus the lighter tones are used to show both the animosity that can exist between old and new beliefs, while at the same time, reveal the sense of understanding that has the potential to also exist between the two.

Much of my work is abstract in terms of form.  They are also open to interpretation by the viewers.  I want people to question what they see and try to apply their own perspectives and ideas to develop their own interpretation of the work itself.