Stories can be constructed from what is cast away. The central materials in my compositions are identified amongst the natural, broken and abandoned. The known and unknown past of these objects build layers of significance. It is my aim to express facets of these layers and generate intrigue through their modification and arrangement.
Originally inspired by santos and roadside shrines in the American West, my work has evolved over 25 years into the arrangement of endless found objects in examination of natural and cultural interplay within specific landscapes. Who we are and how land and history shape that identity is my primary obsession. My professional background in Alaska archaeology fieldwork, historical research and museum exhibit curation greatly inform my art, as well as my home landscape in rural Haines, Alaska.