The collage work began in 1995 when I could no longer fight off the oppressive urge I felt to make pictures out of the harvest of my years of scavenging.  A hunger to combine these images and textures lying all over my studio initially drove my imagination to create unintentional plant-like forms. As these “flowers” emerged, my own language of formality developed, and exploring my obsession for meticulous detail was being satisfied. The relentless seduction materials have on me found a worthy purpose.

The new work depicting the birds with human heads began during a recent difficult time that has changed my life. Ironically, when these images first appeared, I was not yet aware of the personal devastation I would soon encounter. As it became known to me, the creatures appearance in my work took on an unexpected depth of meaning. They provide an escape into a fictional world where I can observe life from an unseen vantage point which offers me safety. I continue to heal and grow with my birds as we try-out life again through a myriad of scenarios which speak to the cruelty and elation of real life.

Recently, I have been invited by the Art in Embassies program to create a series of my minutely detailed, hand sewn and collaged images on old book covers. These works will hang in US embassies all over the world, and I am honored to have my works so widely shared.