statement

In my artwork, I utilize drawing and related media to investigate how the character of natural settings changes over time in relation to human activity. I begin with research and first person experience to consider intersections of culture and geography. Through various projects, I have explored how drawn forms can imply parallels and relationships among various places and can facilitate documentary, allegory, and envisioned futures.

The project Reconstructed Memories is an investigation of new ways to construct narratives and to create invented landscapes based on my past. I built a sculptural tabletop tableau that depicted memories from past experiences I had in places of scenic beauty. In the sculpture, individual memories overlap and mix together, to create a surreal and complex space, both fragmented and coherent. Using photographic references from details of this sculpture, I have been creating a series of large-scale, photo-realistic pencil drawings. The drawn images appear to be scenic shots from reality, although closer inspection reveals their relation to the model. With drawings and the sculpture exhibited in the same space, Reconstructed Memories intermixes a variety of imagery and introduces questions of authenticity to create discordant and lyrical depictions of relationships between the natural and man-made worlds.

bio

born: 1972, Michigan

education

University of Minnesota, MFA in Printmaking, 2007
School of Visual Arts, MFA in Illustration, 1999
Kalamazoo College, BA, 1994