I work with branches, roots, sticks, and trees. I collect these raw materials from the mountains and arroyos around Santa Fe. I often wrap, or partially wrap, these forms with wire or cotton gauze and paint them an intense carbon black. This process de-emphasizes the physical object in order to distill the internal expressiveness of the form.
The sculptures flow calligraphically, as the wrapped pieces become more elemental and take on new life. The work may appear blackened and wounded, vulnerable and expressive. A branch, a root, or an arrangement of sticks and roots can simultaneously sensitize us to the exquisite beauty of nature and to the pain of our losses in an intimate and personal way.