Artist Statement

My work is a living dialogue with the natural world, which occurs through my body, breath, mindful awareness, and repetitive gestures using diverse mediums.

I have always been an avid observer of the natural world. Working with focused attention started in earnest with clay - a material with which I have always had a visceral connection.

I become physically part of my work beyond the obvious convergence of tools and materials. The clay floor installations have my palm prints impressed into the moist clay from the act of working. The ridges in the “Newsprint Series” are a measure of my finger width and the “Sumi-scapes” are a record of my breathing and my state of mind.

The desire to deepen my process, and the work of artist Lee Ufan, has inspired me to develop a practice that synthesizes the energy of repetition into a single gesture. I am currently realizing this new process with the “Clay Drawings”.

I am now working with hand-collected clays from Santa Fe and the surrounding area. A “slurry” of clay is applied to the paper and a single action gesture is made with different parts of my body. Drying and then washing with water produces the drawing, which is later selectively oiled.

This work has evolved into the Clay Room, a site-specific installation that proposes using clay in an untraditional two-dimensional presentation. The project presents a new way to reconnect with the land using art as a vehicle that engages people in a way that will heighten their awareness of the earth.