I’m interested in the deconstruction and reconstruction of an object that is a part of an edition and seeing how the object reacts to that alteration. Alteration of commonplace, household architectural elements that are one out of 100, 1,000 or even 100,000 gives them a new identity, a new originality. It also renders the original object useless and often unrecognizable, so the new object’s sole purpose is as a work of art.
The objects that I choose to use for my sculptures have been discarded in one way or another. They have been thrown into a dumpster, donated to a thrift store, or left by the side of the road for a variety of reasons. Typically, the objects are either slightly damaged or no longer in style, and therefore deemed unattractive or useless. In disassembling and reconfiguring these household architectural elements, I am giving the objects a use that is purely aesthetic, as their use as a cabinet, window, door, etc. has decidedly ended by those who have gotten rid of them. Today in America there is often an excessive production of short-lived products that is leading to a throwaway culture. My process is an exercise in finding the beauty within the ordinary that is often taken for granted due to the nature of this mass production through the careful observation of the mundane and everyday such as a thrown away chair.
The technology behind printmaking is inherently linked to mass production, and this is something that I respond to in my practice. When something is mass-produced, it tends to become rather ordinary and can become highly disposable. By altering found residential architectural items into sculptures, I break them free from their mass produced identities. By using the printmaking medium to respond to the alteration that has occurred, I call attention to the object’s simplicity and beauty in a medium linked back to mass production. In my prints I use minimalist compositions derived from a close observation of the element as it originally stood and through all stages of alteration. I focus on the underlying structure of the architectural element, object, or sculpture that I am observing in order to create structure in my pieces. These abstractions are a different way of looking at the everyday and give me a deeper appreciation for all of the simple elements that construct our environments.