Artist Statement

Because the human mind is predisposed to the construction of stories, it can be hard to sit with silence and uncertainty. I am interested in non-linear histories, vacancies in timelines, and what happens when we allow the absence of a dominant plot line to take center stage in diegesis. The challenge today lies not in storytelling but in listening deeply to the stories that we tell.

My artwork explores the human need to construct narrative, interpret ideas, and connect with others. As an unwritten story and with so much room for interpretation, archaeology can mislead, misinform, and misrepresent. When we remove the human voice and the written word, what stories do artifacts tell? Objects and symbols boldly represent ideas, but how can we be sure we interpret them correctly when we are removed from the original makers?

To represent stratigraphy in my paintings, I layer paint, media, and sand on canvas and board. Between layers I make marks and inscribe messages. The meaning of these messages is obscured by the materials and unremembered by me.

In my sculpture practice, I recreate trash middens, collecting materials from specific sites and layer them in core samples as strata. These core samples are records of human activity, representations of story and interaction. In some cases, these samples record daily routines and habits, but more often they are the physical representations of relationships and ideas.