revised artist statement

I was parts of we. Before I became me. A triad in turn

With a companion experience to keep us as I passed through with her

I move through a river of time. With elbows up to keep from going under

I swim towards integrity, a foundation causing ripples of interaction

all the way to the entrance of the public sphere

Where dreams of unrealistic support

Found us in a hall of passageways asking how we got in and how we are going to get out.

Each of the lines above is an excerpt from a set of phrases that corresponds to a large scale collage. They hold the location and concern for the actions I take, what is done in my name and question how can I identify systemic causes of racism, sexism and environmental degradation. Understanding orchestrations within institutional legislation is useful but to see a change on a day-to-day basis I desired a record of how I can be mindful to avoid embodying and propagating these harmful ideals. I often find these evils thriving inside me. I expel them onto scraps of paper so I can look them in the eye, unfold their seams to see where they have been and try to rid myself of them.

My hope is that these cyclical, self-referential works have the ability to create a space to digest ideas by inviting others to ride the ebb and flow of my words and visuals. The prose poetry is my reading, my journey through the works I have created. Through my struggle to accompany this group of images with words, I hope to encourage viewers to form their own narrative while meditating on the ideas I have collaged visually. The scale of the mark itself testifies to my swirling body and dancing arms. A mark of how I have moved for months. I have come to a way of creating images where my process remains evident in a physical form. This record of my actions and thoughts proves useful; what I have learned cannot be summarized yet exists in a form that can be shared.

These visuals are dependent upon layering. Layering enables thoughts, events and conclusions made at different times from different locations to come together, each sharing a slightly varied perspective on the subject matter. Collage is the process, the vocabulary that allows me to articulate my eternally layered, infinitely changing understanding of autonomy. With others present; we can jump into what is seen. What is seen is personal and must be approached respectfully as such. With that in mind I will stand with what I have done. I am a conversationalist. I strive to let my tongue be held, flap free and twist to control my pace when necessary. To learn consistently from speaking/listening and all other social interaction involves as much effort as creating one of these large collages. Each is a unique form of conversation where different ingredients come together in an attempt to form an integrity that can be understood as communication. Through the creation and destruction of a variety of print processes reborn as larger scale collages, I encourage you to enter a surreal world infused with my personal experience and political commentary. These collages could be constructed with versions of one image that through a variety of assemblage techniques create a story infused with the subject matter of the original clippings. I print mostly on recycled paper; over old drawings, etchings or found paper/fabric. The more history is embedded within the materiality of image, the easier it is for me to work with it. The habit of collecting enables a break in the secrecy surrounding art making. The question “What are you doing?” might be the beginning of an alliance. In an attempt to bring the artist labor out of the night and back to the work force I have traced my figuration, my topography, my map, that takes the form of this visual phrase.