ARTIST
STATEMENT
I
have been a perfectionist for as long as I can remember.
My parents say I was even a “stressed out kindergartner,”
which explains my attraction to the field of metalsmithing
and jewelry design. I enjoy pushing myself to create
flawless original work, and therefore often use clean,
geometric shapes and lines in the underlying structures
of my pieces. The success of my work lies in the combination
of this technical precision and the personal content
of the pieces.
My current body of work deals with different treatments
for the symptoms of depression. Having suffered from
severe depression for most of my life, this subject
is very personal and important to me. I have undergone
many forms of therapy, including medication, acupuncture,
and even electro-convulsive therapy. I have chosen to
focus my work on methods of recovery as a cathartic
way of dealing with the constant struggle I have faced
in coping with my illness. By making tangible objects
that embody this meaning to me, I can remove myself
enough from both the symptoms and their arduous treatments
to temporarily dissociate myself from them, and see
them as a source of creative inspiration.
In my Acupuncture Series, I have incorporated an enormous
number of acupuncture needles—more than two-thousand
total in the series—which illustrates the seemingly
endless number of needles used over the course of many
sessions, as well as the repetitive nature of dealing
with daily crises. Although people who have undergone
acupuncture may have a different reaction to the materials
than those who find them unfamiliar, the effect of the
delicate yet dangerous needles undulating with each
movement of the wearer is universally powerful and fascinating.
My Insomnia Series incorporates several different sleeping
pills that I have personally used to combat insomnia,
another symptom of depression. The brightly colored
capsules, set in the context of bold and repetitive
forms, contradict their intended use for sedation. The
pieces allude to a need to sleep as a means to escape,
and the excessive number of pills implies that they
could also be used as a method of suicide.
