My work has often focused
on architectural structures and observation of the American landscape. Growing
up in America in a military family and moving to different parts of the country,
there was a certain familiarity to the kinds of houses and neighborhoods.
They were a series of suburban developments built in separate regions of the
country, on the outskirts of larger cities, at the exit ramps of interstate
highways, and all very similar in age and design. My notion of space developed
out of this cultural setting which was consciously economic, and somewhere
between urban and rural. Most of my works involve places, or combinations
of these and other places drawn from memory. I use paintings, drawings and
sculptural installations as my primary modes of expression and portray the
work with aerial views depicting familiar urban and suburban environments
presented in a manner that creates an uneasy sense of quiet.
Our ideas of nature and landscape are written into city zoning codes with
specific ratios of grass and trees, to pavement and concrete, fulfilling our
need for a utopic balance of nature and culture. Backyard boundaries incite
border disputes, bringing up arguments about trespassing and ownership that
seemingly take as much importance as foreign conflicts. Empty pools, white
houses, fences, windows and highway overpasses are among the subjects I often
employ to explore complex relationships between people and our surroundings.
As well, my own interests in skateboarding and surfing developed how I saw
the use of these architectural structures ranging from sidewalk curbs to ocean
jetties. Within my work, I utilize our expectations of these things to further
create an alien landscape. I provide subtle commentary on our obsession with
land ownership and domination - of the land, and of each other.