2021-2022
Informed by the acts of noticing and discovering, my work blurs the line between the natural and human-made. My sculptures, as objects made by human hand, appear to be completely natural and wild and require a closer look, and perhaps even a second look, just to make sure that they are indeed art.
My work is centered around the objects I find in nature. I am drawn toward the environments that surround me: the parks and trails around my home, and the forests and countryside of rural Ontario. In my work, the acts of finding and discovering are crucial. The found object, be it an apple, chestnut, or mushroom, is transformed into stone, bronze, or plaster. As an object maker, I create valuable objects out of things that are considered worthless and useless by many. A wrinkly wild apple is worthless, an overgrown shelf mushroom is useless, a fallen horse chestnut is something to be ignored. By recreating these objects in sculpture, I tread the thin line between the natural and human-made, between the worthless and valuable. The true nature of these objects must be discovered by the viewer. The viewer must discern whether they are real or created by human hands.
“I thought they were real.”
“They can’t be real.”
(Viewer responses to my work)
At first glance, my sculptures seem to have no artist or human creator. They appear to be found objects of nature. The apparent removal of the artist’s hand and craftsmanship give a certain anonymity to the work and artist. My role as an artist becomes a secondary aspect of the work, and my labour behind creating the sculptures is not immediately evident.
My most recent piece Wild Carrot (Queen Anne’s Lace), when re-situated in the location it was found, becomes an incongruous object that hides in plain sight. It is deceptively real and can easily go unnoticed. By continuing to explore the connection between the site and object throughout my practice, I examine the relationship between the visible and invisible, the revealed and hidden. The artwork depends on being discovered and it is up to the viewer to re-find these “found” objects. I found and then made these objects, and by siting them, the objects are ready to be found again.