Artist Statement:

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I create visual expressions in wood. My pieces explore the balance between the form I’m trying to execute and what the wood itself wants to do; the end result is a natural material in a form that may appear to be organic, but yet will never truely appear in nature. I’m inspired by nature, geometry and theoretical forms, such as the Mobius strip. It’s all about balance—the tug and flow between the natural and the unnatural, the effects of nature and the effects of the carving process.

I love using wood because it’s a living thing. It had a life before it got to me. Even after I workwith it, it’s not complete, not truly stable—it dries, it shrinks, it absorbs and releases moisture. Again, it’s about the tension and harmony between what the wood wants to do, and what I want it to do.

The process of sculpting is like a chase. I’m constantly trying to achieve something that’s truly non-existent until I create it. The expression I create is already contained within the wood itself, and the material exerts just as much influence on the finished piece as I do. For me, truest satisfaction comes at the points of discovery—when I find something in the piece that I didn’t expect. That discovery process continues even after the work is finished; I continue to learn from them and they continue to shape my future work.