Artist's Statement
We have a compulsion to make things and to acquire what is made. Over the past millennium, we have filled the earth with made objects. I believe every object that has ever been handmade or manufactured eventually becomes either rubbish or is revered. Both reveal considerable insight into the human condition.
I take discarded rubbish and try to instill in it something reverential, some idea worthy of regard.
In addition to assemblage work, I also create scratchboard "portraits” mostly of birds. They are presented in vintage, cast-off frames. Despite their often poor condition, the frames elevate the bird's stature. Many birds sport crowns on their heads. They are meant to be humorous, but also to prod us into contemplating the reverence we have paid and continue to pay to royalty and those in our society deemed worthy of a portrait.
