My work focuses on the intersection of the natural world with the constructed environment to create works around themes of degradation and wear, the construction of spaces, and environmental impacts of our society. As a cyclist, I grew up spending most of my days outside riding in the mountains and building trails and jumps to ride with friends. These were my foundational days of creating and I still employ many of the techniques I’ve acquired through the years such as collecting wood from fallen trees and building up dirt to create forms. Using natural materials that I interact with regularly outside of the studio and which I can collect myself are very prevalent in my work today and are a crucial aspect to my practice.

 

The act of making is a deeply rooted impulse inside all of us and is in some ways a key characteristic of what makes us human. Interacting with and manipulating our direct environment is something that we’ve been doing since the beginning of recorded time creating shelters, tools, and clothing. Tapping into this innate process is important because it allows me a path for learning about new subjects and exploring the histories of materials as well as an opportunity for educating the viewer on subjects relative to my work. Returning to spaces regularly and utilizing the materials from a specific site creates a process of connection and learning about a space which directly informs my process of creating. Utilizing wood and other natural materials I’ve collected and transfiguring found objects from the same space, I apply various methods of carving and constructing to create pieces that embody the history and current state of the site. The methods used are directly determined by the materials found as well as the relevant concepts that I want to represent. It is important to consider what the materials and the history of the site require in order to create an accurate representation of how we interact with our surroundings.

 

I use my artistic practice as a means for getting people interested in exploring their environments. Whether it’s an urban, highly populated environment or a remote location in the mountains, there is an underlying history and processes to tap into. The use of recycled and untreated, raw materials ensures a practice that doesn’t add to our worldly crisis of overconsumption of resources as well as accurately reflects the places that I am working.