I grew up in a small town in the thumb Of Michigan. The town where I was born and rasied in was very sheltered. There was no diversity, crime, or even drugs really. Because I grew up as sheltered as that, it had a very strong influence on my artwork. my art work usually reflects this upbringing in some sort of way. When I start to work on a piece there is ually a very close connection to either religion or family. For me, being Lutheran, is something that has always been a struggle and I show that struggle in my art.
Sculpture is my passion, my experience, and my enjoyment. I personally enjoy working with metal because it is the hardest to try and make it look soft and warm. I like to psuh the envelope with my metal and make it look like it is not metal but soemthing more flexible. In my piece Beesus I try to use the nature shape of a honey comb and make the metal look as if it was formed by something other than a machine. I used bees wax all over it to enhance this idea.
I believe that tying experiences from my past into my artwork help me to make my pieces rewarding. Some artist do not want to get personal in their artwork, and I feel that getting that emotion out there, helps bring the art to life. As an art teacher that is what I want to try and accomplish with my students. I want to show them that there is nothingto be afrait of when making personal connections to an artwork. I want to encourage my students to look at this as a challenge, not an obstacle.