Connection and interaction, along with their attendant tensions, are the underlying themes of all my work. As soon as two people occupy a space, a connection exists. Whether they are longtime friends or strangers meeting for the first time, there is a spark of some kind.

The sparks between people that animate my sculptures come from the gestures of the figures and their placement in relation to each other in the composition. Over the years, viewers have shared their interpretations with me, and it always deepens my appreciation for how many ways there are to interpret both the world and a work of art.

The basic visual element in my work is the human figure.  I draw each figure using steel wire. The figures are abstracted to shapes that create an expressive vocabulary of gestures. When I compose the figures into a sculpture, the various gestures play off each other. The extent to which figures overlap and shadows are formed by the lighting creates further complexities of connection that are both literal and metaphorical.

My urge to explore the possibilities of human connection flows from my early experiences. I was so exuberant as a very young child and loved interacting with people. But both my parents suffered extreme early traumas that left them fearful and unable to be part of a community.  I have worked to process the influence of this inter-generational trauma which, as I grew, blocked my development of connection within my family and with the larger world.  I am acutely sensitive to the damage to people, communities, and nations when we are not able to connect.  Social media, as well as the Covid pandemic and its aftereffects, have accelerated a trend toward isolation that makes it harder than ever to understand each other and to share physical space.

We must come together with others if we are to find trust and make progress by recognizing our similarities and negotiating our differences.  While E.M. Forster’s exhortation to “Only connect!” is well-known, the end of that statement guides us to its fulfillment:  “Live in fragments no longer.”

“Thinking Allowed II“, 2023
Painted steel wire on wood panel
17″ H x 37″ W x 2″ D

“Vignettes II”, 2024. Detail 1.

Connection and interaction, along with their attendant tensions, are the underlying themes of all my work. As soon as two people occupy a space, a connection exists. Whether they are longtime friends or strangers meeting for the first time, there is a spark of some kind.

The sparks between people that animate my sculptures come from the gestures of the figures and their placement in relation to each other in the composition. Over the years, viewers have shared their interpretations with me, and it always deepens my appreciation for how many ways there are to interpret both the world and a work of art.

“Trapezium”, 2021. Detail 2.

The basic visual element in my work is the human figure.  I draw each figure using steel wire. The figures are abstracted to shapes that create an expressive vocabulary of gestures. When I compose the figures into a sculpture, the various gestures play off each other. The extent to which figures overlap and shadows are formed by the lighting creates further complexities of connection that are both literal and metaphorical.

“Inside My Head II”, 2021.
Painted steel wire on wood panel,
18″ H x 17 1/2″ W x 3″ D.

My urge to explore the possibilities of human connection flows from my early experiences. I was so exuberant as a very young child and loved interacting with people. But both my parents suffered extreme early traumas that left them fearful and unable to be part of a community.  I have worked to process the influence of this inter-generational trauma which, as I grew, blocked my development of connection within my family and with the larger world.  I am acutely sensitive to the damage to people, communities, and nations when we are not able to connect.  Social media, as well as the Covid pandemic and its aftereffects, have accelerated a trend toward isolation that makes it harder than ever to understand each other and to share physical space.

We must come together with others if we are to find trust and make progress by recognizing our similarities and negotiating our differences.  While E.M. Forster’s exhortation to “Only connect!” is well-known, the end of that statement guides us to its fulfillment:  “Live in fragments no longer.”

“Thinking Allowed II“, 2023
Painted steel wire on wood panel
17″ H x 37″ W x 2″ D