Depicting contemporary ideas using iconic styles familiar to us as humans inspires me to explore how we identify ourselves as individuals. Robert Terwilliger said “A man’s identity is not best thought of as the way in which he is separated from his fellows but the way in which he is united with them.” Responding to this idea, I use icons familiar to us as humans to explore the identity of the individual compared to the identity of a group as a whole. As a member of society, I am concerned with history and where we as individuals originate from. I am interested in our belief systems and social structures and the importance of each. My work re-presents familiar icons allowing each viewer to realize he pulls images from a bigger consciousness than his own and therefore he is constantly a part of a group.
Nostalgia plays a huge part in my work. I am inspired by objects once owned by others and experiences we as a species share with one another. In working with iconic images, I also work with pattern and texture in an attempt to replicate experiences or emotions I've felt as a child. Pattern and texture represent my upbringing as a child in my grandmothers' homes. I am inspired by the texture of knitted and crocheted fabrics and by the structures and frameworks created.
Humor is an essential element in my work. I derive inspiration from puns and wordplay. As members of society, I believe that we satirize uncomfortable topics and in order to make these topics easier to manage. This ridicule allows us to forget the serious nature of pressing cultural issues. I use this humor to represent and confront the viewer with a cultural or societal issue. Putting a work on display is the ultimate form of highlighting its meaning and calls for scrutiny. This display returns the issue to its original importance.
Nostalgia plays a huge part in my work. I am inspired by objects once owned by others and experiences we as a species share with one another. In working with iconic images, I also work with pattern and texture in an attempt to replicate experiences or emotions I've felt as a child. Pattern and texture represent my upbringing as a child in my grandmothers' homes. I am inspired by the texture of knitted and crocheted fabrics and by the structures and frameworks created.
Humor is an essential element in my work. I derive inspiration from puns and wordplay. As members of society, I believe that we satirize uncomfortable topics and in order to make these topics easier to manage. This ridicule allows us to forget the serious nature of pressing cultural issues. I use this humor to represent and confront the viewer with a cultural or societal issue. Putting a work on display is the ultimate form of highlighting its meaning and calls for scrutiny. This display returns the issue to its original importance.
