Artist Statement

I sketch, make things, and explore. From roaming the creeks and fields I grew up around, to traveling to foreign countries, my exposure to urban and natural aesthetics has had a major influence on my design vocabulary. In my youth I felt compelled to interact with and immerse myself into my surroundings, and in my adult years nothing changed except the improvement of instruments and the distance of exploration. My focus on technique and craftsmanship in metalsmithing-coupled with my interest to experiment and work from new challenges, is the basis of how I approach the act of making. The natural world guides me, and a simple rock becomes a vessel. The body of a ghost crab becomes an alphabet. Things outside of myself control the language I use to describe my experiences.

My ongoing creative research investigates digital design and manufacturing technologies in combination with traditional craft practices. Most recently, I have focused on CNC milling as a process to complement the design aesthetics, workflow and techniques used in my blacksmithing and metalsmithing practice. This work examines the relationship between these methods by contemplating the meaning of craft and how one may resolve the dichotomy that exists between contemporary technologies and processes historically hand-based.