PLAY/THE COLLECTING IMPULSE

My art practice coincides directly with my love of adventure, play, curiosity, simplicity, and humor. The immanent rules and parameters within my process are organic. Ideas generate when I am moving around and exploring. I spend a lot of time walking, collecting, and repurposing the detritus I find. I react to the landscapes, and the environment around me. I create sculptural interventions in public sites troubled with neglect. I interject humor, beauty, or contemplation in an attempt to rejuvenate sites into a new experience. Where an object is, as opposed to what an object is, is of equal importance to me. I like the idea of touching someone artistically when they least expect it. I involve myself in tactile processes. Working with my hands gives me a sense of accomplishment, but I am more than just a maker. My art is an extension of me. I am confident and comfortable with my work when I can see myself in it. My art provides me with an opportunity to utilize everything that I am. I work for myself, as well as from myself. Honesty is the thread that connects me to my gut. My gut is the decision-making in my art. I often find objects that I need, or material that I know will work. It usually takes some time for me to realize why. I trust my instincts, and the impulses tied to my art process. I expose my objects and ideas to the world to see what comes of them. There are times when I feel it necessary to be physically involved in my work. My presence serves as a catalyst or dialogistic with the objects and places I am dealing with. Putting something to use or spending time with something opens up possibilities. My documented piece “Yellow Convertible” embodies this idea. I am not concerned with how people interpret my work, as long as it engages them in some fashion. For example, my piece “Stop” consisted of a red coat with the word stop sewn onto the back of it. I placed the jacket over a stop sign on a street corner so that the red jacket took the form of the sign and exposed the word stop that was sewn onto its back. The idea was born from humor, but exposed other ideas like memorial and gang relations.