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Statement My objective? To add some artful trinkets to the general treasury of civilized delights. My means? Waxed linen thread, Japanese paper, leather cord -- formless materials which, when twined, can be transformed into objects with structure and volume. They have no function other than to please, and perhaps provoke. I am inspired by nature and architecture. Twining is an ancient construction technique in which each warp (or spoke) is encircled by two cords, which are twisted between every two warps. If the weaver starts at the center and works in a continuous circle, periodically adding spokes, the twining begins to curve upwards into a bowl shape. Voila: a basket. In the creation of a basket, twining has its limits, which I know nothing of! I bring artistic license to the technique, and the results are as you see them in my work. The spokes are unique: I make them from strips of Japanese paper which I spin by hand and often leave untrimmed so that they have a free and lively quality. The tension in the weft is critical: it alters the texture of the surface and can produce either depressions or lumps. Varying thicknesses of warp and weft determine the way the object takes shape and where the surface is delicate, where rugged. Openings on the side partially reveal hidden interior spaces. Some pieces are enhanced by being placed within a specially made box that requires the viewer to peer inside. Every piece is a gamble, then a revelation.
Some of the contemporary artists whose work is important to me are Andy Goldsworthy, James Turrell, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Edouardo Chillida, Lissa Hunter and Winifred Lutz. Their collective vision is inspiring and awesome. Although they work in entirely different media, they share -- and I share with them -- a fascination with organic form and the guiding principles of understatement and devotion to detail.
portfolio
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