Artist Statement

My work provides an opportunity for the viewer to think about their relationship to change, especially in today’s rapid and constantly changing society. I use nostalgic themes in a modern way as a statement about moving so quickly that we never have a moment to recognize and mourn for those things that we lose in the process. At its heart, the work asks the viewer whether embracing such all-consuming change is inherently good.

The emphasis on doing more, faster does not allow us to reflect on how our choices today will impact our lives tomorrow. Rather than experiencing the moment, we are distracted, alienated from our own lives through our focus on the constantly changing external. My use of clowns, the circus and carnivals explores this alienation. These thrills of the past demanded full sensory immersion to explore the boundaries of the human. Whether through games of skill or the intense emotions induced by the anxiety for the tightrope walker’s safety or the raw energy of a tiger leaping through a circle of flame, we knew what it was to be in the moment.

In fast pace of today, the bombardment of stimuli separates us from compassion. There is little opportunity or need to understand the ways in which we are human and relate to the world around us. We are always yearning for something without being able to define or recognize it because the pace of change demands we respond without reflection. It is the tension between the nostalgia of the past and the violent rapidity of today, neither of which allow us the luxury of peace.