My figures probe the human condition through the manipulation of a variety of materials that often oppose one another: sharp/soft, translucent/opaque, gritty/smooth. The energy they exude suggests the primal connection between humans and animals, the emotional landscape that lies just beneath our conscious existence. Their innards often contain scraps of everyday living, creating a tension between “what was” and “what is.” Roughly assembled, they have a rawness of form and a gestural urgency intended to evoke a visceral response, a sense that something must happen. Now. Their ragged immediacy mirrors our own flaws and unspoken anxiety as we endeavor to live in this world we have created while functioning with brains made for a very different time and environment altogether. 

While most of these characters reflect the turmoil of our world (climate emergency,  political insanity, constant warfare), others explore an inner, more personal terrain. In our current world, the personal and the universal often merge. Animals frequently appear in my dreams, emphasizing the emotions of a situation. Sometimes they pull up rage or anxiety, other times empathy and connection. They can reveal hidden power. Yes, we carry inherent animal instincts, but we also have a capacity for profound understanding.

My work also explores the unexpected strength found in fragility and the insistence of the imagination in creating intrigue over chaos. Sometimes there is beauty in bleakness, humor in urgency, and a compelling attraction to contradiction. Material conversations can lead to unexpected transformations. We must keep walking forward while remaining awake to all aspects of our humanity.