Trash to Treasure to Portrait

The transformation of trash into figures gives a voice to overlooked materials. The forms made from surplus hardware and food are figures taken to a deeper level of abstraction. These assemblages explore expressive representations of the human body.  By mixing up and distorting coded gender signals, I question long-held assumptions about identity.

Using detritus and renewable resources is my response to climate change. These lowly materials upend preconceived notions of worth and challenge the conventions of beauty. Using whatever crosses my path also evokes Dadaism’s irreverence and Surrealism’s celebration of the absurd.

No matter what the material, the emphasis is always on the liminal moment when an object is transformed into a body part. At what point does a shape become a head? When does a line become a limb? When is a mark a smile, a frown, or a cry for help? And then, what meaning is created from the juxtaposition of randomly acquired materials?

After a sculpture is finished, I take its portrait. Each image is staged to capture the essence of its subject. Some photographs are character studies, and others are meant to suggest a relationship or a story that is just out of reach of the viewer. All of my work expresses my belief that we are not much more than machines ourselves, with thoughts and actions that are simple functions of our fragile and fallible bodies.