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STATEMENT My studio practice is interdisciplinary and one in which media follows idea. But while my means of production change, what remains constant in my work is the investigation into how land is used and occupied, the constructs of nature vs. the man-made, and related historic ideologies such as Manifest Destiny and the Locus Amoenus. Through my work I plumb and prod objects, symbols and places to map their histories and understand their relevance. I unearth semiotic bridges; tracing lines between potted plants, national parks, marketing signage, fast food companies, road systems, the farmland I was raised on and the urban neighborhoods I reside in. Land and nature are treated as both stages for events and as exchangable commodities. They are constant yet pliable as narratives of human migration and interaction unfold over them. People everywhere experience their environments through levels of mediation that are at times apparent but are more often obscured. As I become more aware of this and the agents that control my experience, I turn mediator myself. As I do so, my work balances between documentation and commentary. I play both the cynic and the romantic, but the work itself is rooted in something akin to pragmatism. My process is equal parts making and appropriating. Materially, I phase between painting and drawing, sculpture, printmaking, installation and interventions in the public arena. And while the visual arts is my chosen venue for these investigations, a background as a professional graphic designer still holds sway over much of what I do. Text figures heavily into my production, as component of and as the work itself. We are unable to step out of a world filled with marketing and advertising. This is especially true for me, having worked within that industry. As a result, I see everywhere the blanket of consumer culture laid over places and environments and I respond tothis in my work, often borrowing its language and tapping into my experiences on both sides of the mediation line.
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