ARTIST STATEMENT: This work starts with an idea of how I want to manipulate the materials. Cutting, folding, sewing, etc. creates an interplay of surfaces. While I am crafting the basic structure there is time to let my subconscious wander until an idea intersects with the piece that is taking shape. The left-brain aspect of planning and executing is overtaken by the right-brain gift of free association. The piece is then finished with the influence of that idea hovering in the background.The act of making is highlighted in each piece. Hand making has become rare in our culture and is often trying to mimic the machined and mass-produced as a value judgment against the “homemade.” This work invites the viewer to explore both the technical and fun aspects of turning a piece of paper into a complex work of art.
“Why do we make things?” is a question that I often ask myself. Many objects are made out of necessity but others are made to extend the limitations of communication. These pieces are expressions of the subconscious bubbling away even while I’m focused on cutting and weaving. Metaphors that come from the depths are then literally expressed with openings in the picture plane.
Image: Antigone, Paper, Watercolor, Wire , 18x23x5”
