Bird Brained Barbies

General Artist Statement


A latch key kid in a tight-knit household, I was raised deep in the Oklahoma countryside where, at an early age, I learned how to keep myself entertained. As a child I developed an extravagant imagination, a defense mechanism for combating the fears for which I had few outlets. Over the years my ability to spin negatives into positives became habitual, most unwitting, and intensely biographical. A trickle of fear has always become a stream within my mind, a stream that tacks furiously and swiftly transforms into a widened river of anxiety. My artwork is not created to captivate, inspire or beget emotion. My art is my form of therapy.

While the conception of my series work is subconsciously driven, completing individual works is more about the process and less about the product. When conceiving a new series I work by building compositions directly on the substrate with little preconception of the finished designs. My creative method allows the subconscious narrative to develop, a story that transcends the images themselves. Seldom is this tome understood prior to my completing several volumes. Once I understand this autobiography, the series becomes more process oriented and I look to challenge myself in the technical production of new pieces while seeking altered perspectives of the repetitive metaphors represented.

Having apprenticed, studied, and worked with a diverse assemblage of artists I have gained proficiency over a large array of media and technical methods. Such a background has motivated me to develop innovative methods of controlling specific media such as oil based printing inks. Though my techniques have been influenced by many, my inspiration is always self-indulgent and thus the importance of my work is self-derived. My art must speak by visual means alone to allow the observers to interpret the work according to their own experiences.