ARTIST STATEMENT I evaluate my city in terms of its economy, geography, industry, residence, salvage and temperament. Through my absorption of these characteristics I salvage what I can from my soundings to refine feelings and conceptual references down to essential forms and contours. Creating a universal connection and conversation between object, material, nature and human. I think about people, in the context of man-made environments and how I fit within it. How by living my life my mind constantly gathers reference material, emotion, and sensory memories which are constantly projected on any new experience I may have. By exploring how objects, situations and interactions can affect one’s subconscious and how one reacts to emotions such as nostalgia, anxiety, euphoria, pleasure, or disdain, I construct ambiguous environments or autonomous objects that provoke conversation with the viewer an inch outside of their normal memory patterns. The works are just there to exist as a neutral place for the viewer- a place where the familiar and unfamiliar exist simultaneously. Much inspiration is drawn from the individual’s take on his or her surroundings; the home, the walk to work, the comfort zones, how these familiarities are absorbed and taken for granted. By using common materials re-purposed and re-contextualized, the subconscious recognition of that material or shape based in the memory creates a common experience between an audience and the work. Humans learn and grow through trial and error as they weave together a life and memory bank full of patterns, materials, light senses, physical reactions, impressions and intuitive feelings. One can harness these reactions and create a new collective memory for all viewers. By recalling memories, emotions, and facts through imagery, material, installation and performance, the work inspires the necessity to digest, cope with, and confront these reactions.