Artist's statement...

My purpose as an artist is to confront myself with life and death issues that relate directly to my family. I am from a family of sixteen, with one mother, one father, and thirteen siblings. The scale of my work mirrors the scale of my family. The fragmented nature of my work resembles the patchwork quilts my mother and sisters have already made.

One Goes, Six Carry, and Fifteen Remain, 1996. Wood.

Tabernacle, 1996. Wood, ceramics, velvet.

Growing up, I learned from my parents how to make something out of nothing. My father taught me to recognize the value of wood that most people would throw away, by piecing the scraps together into something complete. In each piece of wood I use, there is history connecting the wood to the people and places it came from, and therefore, connecting them to my art.

My work honors life with images of death, and at the same time honors and commemorates the lives of my family.

Long Ago & Far Away, 1996. Wood & mixed media.

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