As a self-taught artist, I juxtapose elements that tightrope between real and surreal, childlike and sophisticated, playful and serious, humorous and sad, personal and universal. Although there have been changes in materials and techniques over the years, these essentials have remained the same.
My earliest works from the 70's and 80's, were mostly paintings on paper or shaped masonite using oil-based enamels and ink. These pieces that were influenced by illustrators, surrealists and optical (OP) artists, were tightly controlled with a hard edge modernist aesthetic. In the 90's, the inherent honesty and material choices of Southern folk artists loosened up my approach to art, realizing it was okay to have a “crooked line”, and to incorporate found and re-contextualized objects. This resulted in a more dimensional and sculptural art driven by ordinary objects, things that we might not normally look at and making them subjects of interest. By creating a visual dialogue around the complexity and beauty of the seemingly marginal, a continuum of the past, forgotten and often discarded is formed. I call this “urban archeology.” The materials range from rusted nails, crushed cans and reclaimed wood to lenticular imagery and printed circuit boards. Although my materials and methods are constantly changing and evolving, I strive to continuously create art that invites exploration.