I grew up next door to an old General Motor's plant in Saginaw, Michigan. When I was a young boy my father would take me fishing on the rivers and lakes that surrounded the city. If it had rained the night before, we would wake up in the dark and I would pick worms out of the ground near our house using a flashlight. If the perch, bass, or walleye weren't biting that day we could always lower the worm to the bottom and catch carp. This seemed to happen often. When the day was done Dad would keep one of the carp. We would plant it next to the bushes and flowers to help them grow.
I believe in the natural cycles of the earth. Within these patterns of life and death is where I can find truth. While cities grow, wars rage, and industry climbs, nature's pulse continues to pound. Migratory paths remain, rivers continue to run downstream, wolves hunt, and insects are hatched.
My artwork is an attempt to create a meaningful connection between the natural world and myself. Often this connection seems fleeting. It is based on observation and the physical act of working with material such as clay and wood. This physical relationship allows me to explore my spiritual, emotional and psychological concerns for the human experience.
In my "Wet Clay Installation" series I have chosen to focus on African Elephants and Gray Whales as my source of imagery. Both of theses mammals have long daunting migrations they must survive each year. I like to describe my installations as "migrations interrupted". This puts a forceful, crude human twist on an elegant natural cycle. I find comfort in meditating on their constant migratory state.
"The Undergrowth Series", reflects both personal experiences and elements of nature that fascinate me. My curiosity has led me to combining these elements together, especially when they share common visual characteristics. For example, a landscape may blend into a wolf head or tree limbs may turn into wiry root systems or discarded antlers. By combining this imagery I am able to reflect connections that are symbiotic and dependent in the natural world.
The "Undercurrent Series" is my newest body of work. This series is very much in process. For right now, it deals with the darker psychological possibilities of being in the wrong place, at the wrong time. So called "Invasive species" fight for survival and mingle with humans that are dealing with a similar problem. They both seem to be lost in migration.
