ARTIST STATEMENT

I come from an old New England family who saves everything and totally believes in picking the trash. My family has sheds, barns, and outbuildings bursting with stuff that “someone could use someday.”

 

Need a pull-out couch? Pots and pans? A cast iron stove? Not a problem. Scrounging, collecting, saving, and re-inventing are in my blood. I have always loved the flotsam and jetsam one finds at the beach, or in the woods, or by the side of the road. I love digging in old dumps, which is what started my love affair with rust in general. I also love sparkly objects, iridescent paint and costume jewelry. I use a wide variety of materials to make my dioramas, collages, and assemblages, including printed images, organic detritus, plastic toys, and all manner of treasures found in old Montana ghost towns and flea markets.

 

My work tells a story, evokes a mood, or makes a statement about a larger idea. My visual training comes partly from years spent as a professional photographer. I have learned
to notice every detail. I have great respect for so-called “outsider” artists, people who make art from the heart, with great passion, and with whatever materials they have at hand.

 

Over the last ten years, I have moved away from producing smaller works and have been creating very large outdoor installations on my urban property, including Emerald City and Sapphire City, made largely from sculptures of green and blue glass. I have built two room size installations called Dolls Fly to Venus and Dolls Open a Lamp Shop, and there are numerous other smaller installations on the property.