Title: “Fish or Cut Bait” doilies, metal saw, fishing weights, hooks synthetic nails, tea cups, glass salt shakers
26” x 3” x 39”, 2021 $450.00
Statement:
Growing up in rural Pennsylvania has deeply impacted my way of life and thinking. As I watch environmental issues currently unfold it is clear that the relationship between man and the environment is unbalanced. My work questions and imagines what a landscape would look like if this relationship were harmonious.
Using molds of body parts, found objects, and environmental artifacts, such as shells and corals, I create sculptural landscapes. Often the placement and intention of the objects question their expected purpose. Placing the body parts in conjunction with environmental artifacts is demonstrative of a balanced relationship between mankind and the environment to create a harmonious landscape. I make mold assemblages by using microcrystalline wax that is colored with oil paint and attach these parts to clothe that is hardened with the wax. My sculptures using found objects found and created objects explore beyond a passive landscape, focusing on specific environmental and societal issues.
In my creative process, I use different mediums including bronze, iron, glass, clay, plastic, and found objects. I am influenced by a variety of artists. Janine Antoni addresses the body and how it is presented in different materials and juxtapositions. Using the body in this process inspires me to question what implications the body and body parts carry as a subject. David Altmejd uses mixed media and the human form, to create work depicting regeneration and evolution. His use of the human form and the combination of materials makes me analyze within my work how the human body is portrayed either in an active or passive role. Petah Coyne’s work uses patterns with natural objects, and mixed media within large installation pieces to explore topics including the natural environment. Her use of patterns to create installation pieces is a visual element that resonates with me. These artists’ processes of combing media in addressing the body and the environment influenced my art-making progress and continue to serve as a source of inspiration.