Bridge #2 (detail), ©2019, 16" x 21" x 3.5", Reclaimed pine

Artist Statement

My sculptures evoke the natural forms of animals and plants.  Rather than represent actual animals, plants, or phenomena, I want to call the viewer’s attention to these forms and patterns and inspire an appreciation for the beauty to be discovered and preserved in our natural environment.

I have been making sculpture since 1991.  Initially, I built forms using reed in an open-weave, linear, grid-like structure.  The sculptures are drawings in space. They are fragile, resilient, flexible, and often humorous.  The intertwining elements of this work reference the ageless craft of weaving, yet the forms have a contemporary feel.

In 2015, I took a woodworking course at the Chicago Industrial Arts and Design Center to see how I might better use wood in my constructions.  Soon, I began making sculptures solely of wood, where the main focus of my work is today.

Most of the wood I use is reclaimed pine from old barns and urban “tear-downs.”  This older pine has much denser grain and strength than recently harvested pine.  It often has interesting knots in the planks.  I look for boards that are more than one inch thick.  Sometimes, I work with maple for its hardness and lack of obvious grain.  The maple is harvested from urban trees that are cut down and seasoned.

My sculptures are constructed of multiple curving elements carved on a band saw and assembled into final form.  My intent is to create a sense of energy, life and movement with this wood that once was a living part of our landscape.