ARTIST STATEMENT

“This body of work can be described as ceremonial or pertaining to ritual. My intent is to communicate presence. The objects exude a presence and it is my hope that the audience gains a new perspective or awareness of their own presence, i.e., their occupancy.

The Mandala is an ancient sacred object that invites the viewer to stop, rest, and reconcile the turmoil of the mind. It is a tool for contemplation and meditation. This form represents an attendance to consciousness.

The figure, although abstracted, is more an indication of physical presence. They speak of the body, its personality, and relationships between bodies, both intimate (family) and gross (collective society).

With both forms there is a strong usage of geometry to denote the principles of existence. The bowl at the center of the Mandala is an empty vessel implying the divine. It is non-moving, non-changing and whole. Outside of this center of peace is the ever-changing whirlwind of existence. Concentric circles represent the departure and the return to the center. In some pieces the circles are combined with radians to define the whirlwind further into two complementary principles: on and off, light and dark, etc. It is the relationship between these two principles that creates consciousness. Without this interplay, there can be no relationship, no perspective, nothing of which to be aware.

In the figures, the surface treatment symbolizes the energy of the body and the affect on its occupied space. Individually they may represent a personality or an internal happening, i.e. an emotion, a desire, an attitude, etc. As a group they describe the ways in which interactions may take place; they are examples of body language.”

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2004 – present Department Head of Wood Studio, Peters Valley Craft Center, Layton, NJ
2003 Instructor, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass Village, CO
2002 Studio Assistant, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass Village, CO

PUBLICATIONS

2004 American Craft Magazine, “Portfolio,” June/July issue
2003 Woodwork Magazine, “Gallery,” August issue