For me, making art is an act of discovery; the work reveals itself through a series of processes, followed by a discovery of what it is about. Often the initiating event leading to my making a piece of art is nebulous, like a transient thought or curiosity about a material or a desire to create a unique object.  The work frequently seems to create itself and the more I try to control or direct it, the more illusive it becomes. 

It is undeniable that the subjects that capture my imagination are somehow related to the larger themes of nature, science, form, space and mystery.  Foundational to these broader themes are the enticement of discovery through experimentation and the subsequent transformation of an idea or concept into a material reconfiguration often mediated by a sense of tension or contradiction in the way the object interfaces with its environment or the space surrounding it. 

Mystery intrudes in all aspects of my art practice.  It’s in my use of materials, especially those I am unfamiliar with.  It’s in my love of experimentation and discovery.  It’s in the processes I use to achieve a desired outcome.   It’s in my love of the childlike wonder I feel when I make a breakthrough discovery or when I relive the moment in the responses I observe in a viewer.

I felt an instant connection with painter Jasper Johns and his philosophy of “do something, do something to that, and then do something to that.”  I have also been greatly influenced by the sculptural works of Anish Kapoor for his notions of the divine in simple forms.  I relate as well with the Arte Povera movement that rejected elitist materials and opted for common or unconventional means to express themselves artistically.

In the end it’s simply the wonder of it all.