Artist Statement:

"Throughout history artists have functioned as social commentators.  I see this as a sacred calling in my work. 

My mother is a Holocaust survivor and due to her traumatic experiences in the Auschwitz Concentration Camp, I was brought up with an overwhelming awareness of fear and victimization in our culture.  These manifest themselves in my work. My work explores the effects of victimization, terror and our ability to make choices that may make us victims or conversely save us from pain. The human condition is vulnerable and I question the amount of control we have over our own destiny.  I attempt to explore these issues with a sometimes humorous, edgy and confrontational attitude.

            My current body of work consists of the characters of Bunny Girl, Pony Girl and Baby Nation.  They are manifestations of opposite parts of my psyche...dueling alter egos that are within all people to some degree.  Bunny Girl is part rabbit which is an "animal of prey".  People think of them as soft, cuddly and harmless.  In this way we can be deceived in life because beneath the cute exterior can be cruelty.  Pony Girl is part horse, the classic "beast of burden",condemned to do the bidding of humans.  Pony Girl is a victim as shown by her bondage implements.  Bits, halters, restraints, rope and anal plugs are her fate in life.  Baby Nation represents the seperation of people.  We tend to see the differences rather than the similarities in humans.  This leads to racism, terrorism and genocide.  Rather than coming together, we seperate ourselves.  These characters are meant to help us see things in a different light and raise the question of how much our lives are determined by destiny or by the choices we make.

            My visual language consists of narrative sculpture using humans and anthropomorphic animals.  These creatures interact with various references to art , contemporary cultural and mythology.

            To accentuate the narrative I use various surface treatments to emphasize certain aspects of their nature.  I use a surface technique that I developed that I call "Naked Fauxku".  This technique duplicates the look of Naked Raku but is done in an electric kiln with no reduction.  It creates a cracked, painful look that contrasts nicely with the glossy glazes that I use in moderation.  The use of colors and surface treatment is an important visual cue to the narrative."