Artist statement

I am drawn to working with clay because the process of building and the playfulness of the material is a connection with my childhood, and a form of communicating in a way that I can not do with words. My work is drawn from the living and natural world. I have the desire and need to explore and play with combinations of emotions and the idea of bringing to the surface something that is not real physically, but is emotionally.
Animal instincts and impulses are what all emotions are derived from. Humans are impacted by society and culture, and tend to ignore the presence of these animalistic traits and urges. These emotions are in us. Although, they rarely come out in daily life. Animals and human figures blending with animal features appear in my work to illustrate a psychological state that may initially appear sweet, submissive and harmless but is torn with revelation, discomfort, tension, and restriction. I create animal and human forms to bring attention to the viewer the relationship between human and animal behavior. My figures are conflicted and disconnected to the real world, revealing internal fantasies and truths.