I have always been fascinated with structures and materials – the interconnectedness of how things are created and where they come from, both through making and in the natural world. However, with increasing awareness of this current human-powered age we call the “Anthropocene,” my wonderment with the world has merged with feelings of anxiety and ambivalence. I am both disturbed and captivated by the paradoxes of industrialized society, where modes of production and disposal are often obscured to the public, yet people have more technology than ever to make their imagined worlds a reality. My work bridges the realms of functional design and fine art sculpture to explore these curiosities about the made environment, utilizing the archetypal chair form to explore the connection/disconnection between outer appearance and inner structure and the ongoing erosion of boundaries between natural and artificial. I use organic materials like wood, but frequently find myself manipulating them with synthetic materials like resins to keep them looking a certain way in perpetuity. Sometimes, I dissect and encase my materials in plexiglass to achieve the feel of a taxidermied specimen or artifact, neither dead nor alive. Taken together, my works explore the condition of being a maker in uncanny times, and embody my humor, wonder, anxiety, and fascination with our ability to manipulate our physical environment and the resulting disconnect between truth and appearance.

Artist Statement, 2023