|
ARTIST STATEMENT
I have always been intrigued by the vast scale and seemingly unstoppable development of humanity. Our society as a whole can be viewed as a single massive organism, growing and consuming much like mold on a piece of bread. My work is inspired by this unending urban growth, and the organic qualities we share with our natural environment. Our creations, from the smallest device to the largest city, mimic the growth and evolution of the more natural elements of our planet. The byproducts of this growth, from the rusted husks of forgotten machinery and derelict shells of abandoned buildings, to the schools of discarded household supplies that speckle our environment like a species of their own, over time become as much a part of our landscape as the natural elements they once sought to overcome.
By finding correlations in color, form, and texture, I seek to blur the lines between organic and inorganic, and create disturbing yet beautiful imagery from our own waste. I have drawn much of my inspiration from modern street art, and the work of artists such as Marcus Jansen and Daniel Richter, particularly in the usage of color and vibrancy to transform an otherwise mundane landscape. Sculptor Nancy Rubins has also been very influential in her ability to physically alter an environment by creating large-scale installation pieces that dominate their locations, and breathe new life into forgotten objects. I have drawn much of my palette from colorful and textured mass-produced items; collected from thrift stores, scrap yards, and street corners. By forcing these forgotten objects back into focus, I am altering our perception of the natural landscape we have created for ourselves, and allowing the mind to wander with the possible future and past histories of our forgotten creations. I juxtapose these cultural topics with visually compelling imagery that burst into our reality, offering further insight into both nature and our relationship to it. |
