Dream Work
Fantasies and dreams can be our escape from the challenges of reality. My work is based upon both fantasy and allegory. Fairy tales and folk studies provide a creative source for learning life’s lessons and escaping very bad fears. The allegorical aspects of my work tell very simple stories about very complex experiences. They are the products of waking dreams.
At an early age, I was inspired by the works and philosophy of the Surrealist artists, René Magritte and De Chirico. The structural principles of classical sculptures inform my compositions.
Since I was born in the year of the horse and have taken many journeys across various countries, I have adopted the horse as a metaphor to portray my feelings and experiences as I tell my stories. The horse is a symbol of transportation and a classic aesthetic form. Such common elements such as a horse, a house, the sky, etc. are grouped in allegorical fashion in my pieces.
After working in mixed media for a time, I have returned to the challenges of ceramics. In the strictest constraints of ceramics, where I believe the elements of Material, Technique, and Imagination must be delicately balanced. I have found a medium most suited to my aesthetic goals. My work emphasizes mold making, hand building, multiple firings, as well as occasional wheel-throwing. Finishes are predominately terra sigillata with a variety of other techniques. Each piece will involve any combination of techniques necessary for the fulfillment of the idea.
The works are stories as if from a dream state where logic is elusive and the mystery of Symbolism is pervasive.
