WORDS
My most recent work, Up or Down, is a series of sculptures that are a reflection of how I see the environment of South Florida, my current residence. There is a certain duality here, between nature, the aim of utopia, and the wear that occurs through the ephemerality of living. Formally, the work references traditional ceramic vessels. Conceptually I see a connection to the behaviors of nature and emergent systems. These notions are solidified during the making process, where my thumb prints become both texture and a repetitive record of the individual acting upon the material's malleability and spontaneity. The surface is then blurred through the use of epoxy resin to alter how the sculpture's material are read. Auto paint adds color and an allusion to the polished perfection of the urban utopia so seemingly sought after.
More generally my artistic enthusiasm arises from curiosity and an interest to explore conceptual notions, media and technical processes. The limitless bounds, possibilities, and formlessness of artistic practice provide a groundwork for investigating my understandings and interests in the world.
I often use clay due to my familiarity and as it provides an excellent platform of creation due to its vast potentiality. Specifically, I am drawn to its malleability and the ability to capture the haptic experience. Historically, through its longevity, ceramic materials archived cultural ideas, which presents a rich conceptual groundwork as it records those situations which act upon it. This contrasting quality, of being ephemeral and permanent, provides interest both materially and conceptually.
In short, I see myself as a maker. There is satisfaction in being able to control and alter materials to produce those things that can be helpful, or make the world a more interesting place. My hope is that the work raises questions, creating some sense of wonder in the viewer, a wondering of what is and what could be.