Artist Statement / Statement of Pupose

 I have had a varied career path prior to deciding to attend graduate school in art. I have been a musician, a theater technician, a college student mentor, and a photographer to name a few. I studied physics and history in addition to my music degree, and psychology and philosophy in my previous graduate experience.

One of the advantages of this winding path is that I have done the work of figuring out who I am, and have examined several of the lenses through which I view the world. I know who I want to be moving forward, and I am ready to create more intentional art exploring the things that matter to me.

My current work uses the juxtaposition of natural and human-created elements to explore our relationship to the complex interconnectedness of all existence. Is human-made not also natural? At what point do our human products —physical, social and systematic—become unnatural or cross the line into something destructive? With our advanced status in the system, what are our responsibilities?

I primarily work in wood, stone, glass, and plasma. The wood and stone elements are foraged, rooted with a sense of place and the story of their own existence. The glass and plasma elements use human ingenuity to recreate natural elements and give form to the power carried by human hands.

It is a powerful feat to be able to create glass, a material that forms naturally from volcanic eruptions. It takes knowledge and imagination to place lightening into a bottle.

Science and technology are intimately linked with wonder in my work. Through technologies that are new—or at least ones that are unfamiliar—I seek to open myself and others up to a place of curiosity and wonder. Curiosity mixed with wonder, as opposed to fear, sparks empathy. And from empathy comes connectedness and positive action.

I am interested in the social systems we create as humans, and how we use power within these systems to affect our collective and individual psyches. I am a philosopher at heart, with a eye for science and engineering. Advancements in technology bring me joy and wonder and is fertile ground for the experiences I want to create. Human/nature made, analog/digital, retro/future, known/unknown. These are all thematic areas I want to incorporate more.

My greatest artistic challenge in the last several years has been access to studios and equipment, particularly in glass and neon. Glass is integral to my current work, and I have been limited in my progress without regular access.

I am looking for a concentrated period of time to explore and deepen my artistic voice. I want to expand my work into larger and more interactive installation experiences, and I believe UW would be a strong environment to do so.

The artistic application of science is a key feature of the work I want to do. I am looking for collaboration and an interdisciplinary practice. Kinetics, microcontrollers, sensors, human-computer integration and biomaterials are all areas I would like to explore. There are some scientific processes I want to pursue as well, for example, thin film coatings on sculptural glass (similar to cell phone screens) to enhance interactivity. I would not have access to the knowledge or facilities to do this outside of the university environment.

A long term goal of mine is to re-integrate my digital and time-based media practice. AR/VR mixed with physical “analog” elements have intrigued me for some time. So have 3D printing and other computer aided processes.

I am choosing to attend grad school because I thrive in environments where other dedicated artists are also working. I know Henry Jackson-Spieker, and Lisa Geertsen, and would love to continue my work with their expertise and direction. I am excited to join a cohort of other like-minded artists. Community is vastly important and I want to take part in and foster the legacy of the UW arts.