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As long as I can remember I have been a collector
of things. Wherever I am—walking in a field, on a street,
by a river or by the ocean, traveling here or abroad, visiting
dumps or working as a gatekeeper at my local landfill—I have
found objects that were discarded by others but have an intrinsic
beauty or value to me.
Although these materials are very diverse, they
share in common a beautiful patina, soft edges, and worn surfaces.
Some of the wood and metal which I incorporate into my artwork
reveals layers of paint worn through by generations of use.
Over the years, I have accumulated so many objects
that I have a vast library of material to draw from for my sculptural
pieces.
My current work incorporates many years of influence
from my past work and from other artists. Joseph Cornell, the
master, and my dear friend and mentor Varujan Boghosian were my
introduction to assemblages.
In my teens I attended The Putney School where I
spent much of my time training in metalwork, sculpture, and two-dimensional
design, such as silk-screening repeated patterns on fabric. After
high school I designed, fabricated and sold jewelry.
I later enrolled in an intensive course at Penland
School of Crafts in metalwork and jewelry design. There I was
introduced to knifemaking, which intrigued me because it involved
sculptural form in three different media--hard steel, soft brass,
and wood.
I attended Rhode Island School of Design from 1978
to 1982 where I continued my metalwork education, transferring
after two years into the Textile Design program and specializing
in surface design.
Through the years, I have worked with hard and soft,
metal and textiles, sculptural forms and surface details. My current
work is an attempt to fuse these diverse materials and approaches
together harmoniously.
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