I am intrigued with textures, patterns, and colors in the world around me. I see the designs of sea creatures in familiar human made objects, and create additional elements out of anything that works.
My childhood of wading in the Pacific ocean and digging in the muck of Puget Sound has greatly influenced my work. Being raised by parents who were artist and naturalists also brought my agate eyes into focus.
Materials guide themselves into environments where real and surreal mingle through various processes. Finding, recycling and reusing objects as well as creating my own become essential parts to the visual discussion. The push/pull of humans and nature never ends.
As the beaches around the world wash up more stuff from the land and less from the sea I believe we must examine our relationship to rivers and oceans. I attempt to scoop up part of what might be below the blue waters and place it in front of us. In some ways it may be an escape, but at the same time a confrontation.
Creatures of the sea grab onto man’s detritus and either transform it with their beauty, or they are defeated. I would like to be an optimist and think that the real coral reefs will be with us forever. Science is telling us the bad news of many reefs disappearing in 20 years. Maybe if we have a reminder in front of us, on a pedestal, it will give us a call to action. My hope is that both nature and art win in the end.
