Objects collected from local natural areas are the foundation of my practice. I fixate on objects that have served their purpose and are remnants of a plant’s life cycle. These found objects were once protective and structural forms, holding and supporting the flesh until it is mature and ripe. These shells and skeletons are then shed from stalk, fruit and seed throughout nature’s cycles of growth, maturing, and decay. These are nature’s discards, nature’s trash, which instead of being delegated to breaking down, decomposing, and nurturing the next generations, are given a new and alternate life.

Using these objects in my work, I highlight their form and structure by creating relationships between the natural object and utilitarian materials. With an emphasis on interior space, I highlight the once protective and nurturing nature of these forms. The stark, raw colors of rusting steel, brown ink and dye, and white plaster alludes to the transient nature of these no-longer supportive objects as they pass into decay. The structural qualities of steel and plaster mirror nature’s protective shells, yet these materials morph to create new structures. Plaster imbues burlap with a strength and rigidity that reflects the structural qualities of steel. However, that same plaster, when a cracked and broken surface on burlap, becomes flexible, transforming into a draped skin. With heat, bronze and iron become more liquid, finding new shapes and forms. These forms hold true to their source yet become things mediated through the materiality of workmanship.