In order to do assemblage/construction work you must have an infatuation for the discarded and found materials of life. I search flea markets and seek out junk dealers from all over the country who clean out the closed and abandoned machine foundries of their wood patterns/molds that are on their way to becoming the trash of history. They are unique, authentic pieces that possess attributes of decay with beautifully weathered colors, abstract shapes, negative/positive space or other special qualities that few other found materials possess. When something has been used for another purpose for many years, its scars, wear, and patina give it a different aesthetic. These objects radiate personality and voice, demanding an opportunity at another life. Although many are sold as “ready-mades” to be hung on the wall or made into tables or lamps, I choose metamorphosis.

A painter has their palette of paint, the application of my palette requires being tactile - touching, using chance and intentional placement, and finally paint to transform the patterns into vibrant figurative totems. Color carries meaning so the decision of what colors to use can sometimes be the most difficult part of the process. Color that exhibits the qualities of an aging patina or lend a surreal quality to the piece is what excites me. I want the viewer to find kinship in these haunting shapeshifters and delight in the tattoos of color covering their bodies. While some of my constructions often express personal views on social, political or religious issues, others are purely automatic. Freed from their destiny as castaways or trash, these objects assume new identities and an evocation of something soulful. Each of them inherits a different personality and tell their own story.

Artist lives and works in Florence, MA