My artwork embodies philosophies of anxiety, the fragility of life, and transformation – all aspects and potential consequences of change. Change is predictably unpredictable. It affects everyday life, including the mundane and the critical. The lack of control and uncertainty in life pushes me to explore and express my fears and my acceptance of change, which I cannot control, through my artwork.

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I create three-dimensional artworks that reflect ideas of loss, death, and change by transforming organic materials in the firing process. In my most recent works, I use organic materials which are then dipped into porcelain slip and fired to cone 10, 2300 degrees Fahrenheit. The organic material is the skeleton which burns away, leaving a hollow casted shell. The porcelain shell is the remaining trace of the original form of the object. The transformation creates an eternalness through the material, communicating notions of death, decay, and impermanence due to the fragile nature of each individual piece. I try to signify the complexities of change that exists within my life by paralleling the transformation of organic materials and clay. A universal commonality that connects all individuals is the experience of death – the final transformation, and for those still living, an inevitable loss. 

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I fear loss. I fear the loss of a loved one, the loss of memories of an experience, a feeling, or an individual. Memories are precious, fragmented, and fragile. The porcelain slip allows for an impression, a memory of the original organic material. These objects are immortalized as they are transformed into an archival medium.

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Clay demands process and that specific measures are taken. The result is never guaranteed; furthermore, owing to the unpredictability of atmospheric firing, a detachment between artist and art object is required. On the other hand, this specific process allows for serendipity to influence the final form, adding uniqueness and individuality to each piece.

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The tactile and repetitive nature of following the process allows my mind to meditate. This meditation is healing and cathartic, allowing me to accept and work through the task of physically making. Continuing the process, one becomes better with each weave, fold, or stitch. In the end, the final art object is created, transforming ordinary materials into their final form. It is all about process, process, process, and acceptance.

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I am inspired by faith and the notion of the soul, wherein the soul encapsulates conceptions of purity, fragility, and light. Similarly, many of my works are extremely delicate and translucent so that light may penetrate through them. The ever-changing nature, uncertainty and fragility of life keeps me creating. Transforming materials which would otherwise deteriorate into archival objects – that is my transcendence.