Artist's Statement

I have always felt a deep connection to place. The landscape of southern Illinois has been the primary inspiration for my work over the last few years. It’s a beautiful area with rocky bluffs, muddy rivers, and rich forests. There is some hostility in its beauty. Poison ivy, thorny scrub, and venomous snakes demand careful steps. Within this landscape I’m drawn to animals with strange adaptations and the play between resilience and vulnerability. My most recent work uses these animals as allegories for human experiences dealing with disruption and upheaval. ​
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