Statement Of Intent

Statement of Intent

I make my sculptural forms to evoke a feeling of playful intrigue in the complexity of a single, continuous line. They originate from a simple concept of a free flowing drawn line and I turn those lines into forms that the viewer can hold, reposition, and feel. They offer a single line the opportunity to create dozens of other curvilinear lines that can be viewed simply by changing ones point of view.

There is something about a curved line that has always drawn my attention. Even from an early age, I remember drawing squiggly lines all over my homework. I never drew them with the intent of making any recognizable object, but I drew them simply to see where they would go. The allure of this unpredictability has followed me into my current work, though I am no longer satisfied with leaving my doodles on paper.

I try to have as much physical contact with my work as possible. My hands are my primary tools. They play a major role in drawing, bending, sanding, polishing, and forming all that I do. I enjoy the control of being able to hold an object in my hand and contort its shape. Adding mass here, removing epoxy there, meticulously shaping it into the picture I hold in my mind.

My work is inspired by my everyday natural surroundings in the Upper Peninsula, from the vast forest to the rockbound shoreline. I find inspiration particularly in spring from the budding of new vegetation. With new growth sprouting from everything I see, it is easy to find unpredictable curvilinear lines in gnarled tree roots or twisting vines.

Epoxy-saturated bendable birch plywood is my primary media of choice. In my piece "Moment of Zen", I chose to use epoxy-saturated particleboard for stability and strength. I chose to use bendable ply because of its unique design opportunities. I like the viewer to be surprised at the weight or the piece when they pick it up. I want them to be