Artist Statement:

When I find myself in a new place, I am enamored by the confluence of objects and elements from the landscape. These experiences give me a childlike vision because of the complexity of the environment and the newness of it to me.

I am fascinated by the different features of the landscape working together; black rocks supporting entire cliff sides, trees and blue sky collide, accompanied by the sound of waves crashing on soft wet sand that's being imprinted by the water flowing over it. These moments are like visual poetry to me. It is this complex system of things working together that makes me look at the world with amazement. This is all bigger than me, but I am here to experience it. 

After visiting a place, a hierarchy of memories from the landscape begins to form. A place can be defined by the objects that catch our attention in them. There are points of interest in every landscape and pausing on those points is enough to create an image representing a place.

I am captivated by abundant and large-scale objects I find in these landscapes; they can permeate my memory and help me represent a sense of place. I think about how I can arrange these objects in a way to create a new environment, not to show the viewer a direct representation of the landscape, but a deepened, personal perception of my experience. 

I intend to present moments of clarity paired with abstract elements that create a sense of wonder. Abstracting these environments reflects the curiosity I experienced in these places and demonstrates the idea of memory faded over time.

Think of a sharp, jagged stone that is swept into the bottom of a riverbed. It may sit there for 1,000 years before rising from the water. During its time submerged, the stone has changed from a jagged shape to a softened, simplified stone. This process is similar to when I contemplate my memories of an experience over time. When I am ready to make a piece, my memories have faded, so the objects I create are simplified, softened forms that attempt to represent a sense of place when arranged together. 

By making stones out of wood and sand out of clay, I am changing the way you would normally see these objects. Through my use of materials, I hope to make the viewer look at the landscape in a different way, perhaps with the same childlike naivety I had when experiencing these places for the first time. 

This curated experience is an attempt to capture my sincerity towards a place and hold onto that feeling. I intend to share a faded memory of a personal experience in an enigmatic sculpture to make the viewer look a bit closer at these objects and see the landscape in a new way.