Artist Statement:

 

Throughout my life, being outside has brought me much more happiness, many more memories, and countless experiences unlike anything you could do within the confines of a building. Throughout my portfolio I use texture and structure to either embody or react to nature and the natural phenomena around me. While this initially involved inspiration directly from nature, specifically the Wisconsin wilderness where I spent many childhood summers, it has now shifted into how nature engages with space. During the initial stages of work, my pieces were generally thrown or handbuilt with surface design or texture. However, those ideas soon evolved into sculptural pieces with which I attempted to explore how natural elements make use of space. Currently confined to working in my garage due to the safer-at-home restrictions, I’ve started to experiment with a process entirely foreign to me - sculpting. This evolution demonstrates evidence of experimentation, and as unfortunate as it may be, the coronavirus is still a part of nature, and as such it has become an important factor in my work.