Bio
I had a drawing professor who said that making art is just trying to understand something. I think that’s true. I also had a sculpture professor who said that art is making a thousand tiny decisions. I’d say that’s also true.
My work comes from an interpretation of my daily experience. Often it’s something that I’ve noticed on my way to work: an image on a sign, the color of a woman’s dress, a memory, a song lyric, or a line from a book. If it grabs my attention, it can spark an idea of how that particular thing might be translated into physical form. It could be a painting, a sculpture, a photograph, or a video. Whatever best communicates the idea visually, I follow it. Some days I go right to it when I get to the studio. Other ideas may sit for a while as a sketch or even just a title. I keep a list of these ideas tacked to the wall. Eventually one of those ideas might be the thing I start with for a piece.
From what I can tell, the job of the artist is to show up to work. Listen, observe, listen some more, make a decision, and then get to it. There’s a lot of mistakes. Other than that, it’s just a daily observation. Allowing room for anything to come in. If it gets me excited and gives me momentum, I just follow that.
The American composer John Cage said, “If you work, it will lead to something. But don’t try to create and analyze at the same time. They are different processes. Be happy when you can manage it. Enjoy yourself. It’s lighter than you think.”
