Artist Statement
My work has always been in the realm of a maker, where my hand has a dominant presence in the making of work. I do not see medium as purely process, but rather a conduit for communicating ideas. Over the last few years I have taken courses and workshops to expand and refine my knowledge. My individual expression balances between my drive for functional design and sculptural concepts.
Katabasis
Katabasis is an epic convention in mythology for the hero’s trip to the underworld. It also defined as retreat inward from the coast, or in modern psychology an unofficial term used to describe the depression some young men experience. Works produced under this context explore that underworld, or Inner space. These spaces include those physically inside the body and that of human psychology. Ideas are rendered referencing human body as used in mythology and religious storytelling. By using the body, complex expressions can be more readily accessible. Our modern world gives us a greater access to knowledge, allowing us to turn inward. Aiding these expressions are the use of light and glass. The presences of light calls upon our sense of space, as well as our attention. There is vitality in light. The use of plasma neon mimics that liveliness, with its soft animated glow, that responds to the viewer’s proximity and touch. Glass becomes the primary medium, with its transparency, the ability to hold and capture light, and it fragility. The manifestation of thought to creation is mimicked by the process and human hand, in which glass goes from molten liquid to crafted solid. The work is a means to bring out a piece of ourselves and to find connections through the grand narrative of human being.
Katabasis is an epic convention in mythology for the hero’s trip to the underworld. It also defined as retreat inward from the coast, or in modern psychology an unofficial term used to describe the depression some young men experience. Works produced under this context explore that underworld, or Inner space. These spaces include those physically inside the body and that of human psychology. Ideas are rendered referencing human body as used in mythology and religious storytelling. By using the body, complex expressions can be more readily accessible. Our modern world gives us a greater access to knowledge, allowing us to turn inward. Aiding these expressions are the use of light and glass. The presences of light calls upon our sense of space, as well as our attention. There is vitality in light. The use of plasma neon mimics that liveliness, with its soft animated glow, that responds to the viewer’s proximity and touch. Glass becomes the primary medium, with its transparency, the ability to hold and capture light, and it fragility. The manifestation of thought to creation is mimicked by the process and human hand, in which glass goes from molten liquid to crafted solid. The work is a means to bring out a piece of ourselves and to find connections through the grand narrative of human being.
Inspire
Inspire is a series of blown glass lungs, which began as an exercise in drawing on glass using engraving and carving techniques. In creating the lungs, an effortless fluidity and breath are required to give it shape and form. To balance these efforts, like its namesake, I let the process be my inspiration. Each drawing starts with a series lines that wrap around the piece. These lines are then used as guides to create an evolving pattern when viewed from multiple perspectives. While Design is the focus of the work, the labor reveals something beautiful when we can peel away the outer layers and see what lies beneath.
Inspire is a series of blown glass lungs, which began as an exercise in drawing on glass using engraving and carving techniques. In creating the lungs, an effortless fluidity and breath are required to give it shape and form. To balance these efforts, like its namesake, I let the process be my inspiration. Each drawing starts with a series lines that wrap around the piece. These lines are then used as guides to create an evolving pattern when viewed from multiple perspectives. While Design is the focus of the work, the labor reveals something beautiful when we can peel away the outer layers and see what lies beneath.
