Rebuilding
My art is a way for me to experience a landscape and culture to which I am exposed. Through documentation and process, my work highlights overlooked beauty from a highly contextual perspective. My most current pieces are centered on an exploration of materials. I wish to continue my current interests in wood as a central material for me to express my life's work. This interest lends itself well to my affinity to utilizing endemic and natural materials in my sculptural jewelry. I explore some of the most influential and enriching themes of the context that Houston affords to artists. First, the sheer expanse of the urban South is something that has featured prominently in my recent work. This is demonstrated in the central role of cityscapes and the array of available materials that I have used in creative expression. At the residency I was provided rich social interactions with peers and the general public. Another aspect of my work is the discontinuity between the natural environment that is typically unnoticed and the set of complex social structures that tie us to that environment. I see my work and recent themes as an essential, ongoing process of creative development through collaboration with my community and my art colleagues in the community. My art serves as a tangible bridge between memories of the past and my conscious exposure to an as yet unfamiliar place. The documentation of this process in my body of work helps to draw others in to what I perceive to be the heart of any artistic experience; ongoing collaboration through constructive critique. Individuals experience my work and feel compelled to bring me objects and materials that are native to Houston. The communication between myself and those around me helps to strengthen my ideas and inspirations.