Cul de sacs

Parallel Constructs

I believe in the power of objects and materials to reflect upon the various complexities of society.  Although my work is very diverse in approach and media, the conceptual thread between my different bodies of work is consistent if not obvious.  The goal is to create pieces that address the curious, imperfect, and human globe we have collectively constructed.

In this body of work, I create screen prints from photographs of shoe soles in a way that elicits architecture, cityscapes, and other organized communities.  These one to two color prints on wood generate a parallel between small-scale objects and the larger constructs of civilizations both past and present, reflecting on the human necessity to create things beyond their basic utility.  The seemingly alien individual structures within the images are trumped by the familiar organization as something we all recognize, understand and identify with. I equate the soles of shoes to past cultural artifacts that adorn our museums and walls, the shield of the Trojan warrior, the Persian rug, the water vessel of the Native Americans, to name a few.  All of these articles were born out of utility but transcend mere function to define the aesthetics of a culture.  Vinyl and other common materials are used to reference Americana, the materials that define aspects of our culture.  This series is not about shoes, but instead focuses on the relationship between objects and society, linking the designs of soles to the complex structures of civilization.

Ziggurat