Mid-twentieth
century typography and science fiction illustration has
had a profound effect on my visual language from childhood.
The bold use of line, color, and dramatic metaphor translate
directly into my pieces, which I think of as three-dimensional
illustrations. Science fiction has the power to challenge
and entertain us by creating complex worlds and characters
whose strangeness helps bring our own world into focus.
I create pieces that speak of past optimism, present problems,
and future possibilities. The wearer and viewer engage
in a visual dialogue about issues of value and body adornment,
and the consequences of systems of value. I also use a
variety of precious, semi-precious, and common materials
in construction combinations that can be surprising. The
resulting aesthetic is complex, evocative, and functional.
Using the hierarchy of view problem that is an issue in
jewelry design, multiple views are activated in these
pieces which creates an additional tension for wearer
and viewer. Through scale I can experiment with notions
of reality, representation, and humor that provide me
with layers of perception and critique that allow my work
to communicate with many different viewers. Engaging wearers
and viewers in this on-going dialogue is part of my commitment
as an artist to raising the status of metals and jewelry
as an art form, and exploring ways in which art can be
manifested in everyday life.
In my Rocket Science series, I combine the styles and
forms of sci-fi pulp art with traditional objects to create
one of a kind flatware, hollowware, and small-scale sculptures.
I design these objects to be both functional and fun:
fun to look at, to play with, and use. I try to share
the core humor and enthusiasm that is part of the creation
process in the making of these objects with the viewer.
High craftsmanship contrasts with the playfulness evident
in the work. Examples from this series include a rocket
teapot and flying saucer cheese gouge in sterling silver,
anodized aluminum, and gold; and a bake ware set designed
after traditional scientific tools and made of copper,
silver, glass, and wood. These pieces are intended to
engage the user’s senses in multiple ways, and raise
issues about our perceptions of utility and value in functional
objects.
Mid-twentieth
century typography and science fiction illustration has
had a profound effect on my visual language from childhood.
The bold use of line, color, and dramatic metaphor translate
directly into my pieces, which I think of as three-dimensional
illustrations. Science fiction has the power to challenge
and entertain us by creating complex worlds and characters
whose strangeness helps bring our own world into focus.
I create pieces that speak of past optimism, present problems,
and future possibilities. The wearer and viewer engage
in a visual dialogue about issues of value and body adornment,
and the consequences of systems of value. I also use a
variety of precious, semi-precious, and common materials
in construction combinations that can be surprising. The
resulting aesthetic is complex, evocative, and functional.
Using the hierarchy of view problem that is an issue in
jewelry design, multiple views are activated in these
pieces which creates an additional tension for wearer
and viewer. Through scale I can experiment with notions
of reality, representation, and humor that provide me
with layers of perception and critique that allow my work
to communicate with many different viewers. Engaging wearers
and viewers in this on-going dialogue is part of my commitment
as an artist to raising the status of metals and jewelry
as an art form, and exploring ways in which art can be
manifested in everyday life.
