Statement

My current work engages materiality - the layering of transparent plastic mesh along with varying objects blending in irregular and unexpected ways emerge as wall pieces that reference painting in their formal considerations. Paint, wire, beads, mirrors, buttons, monofilament, painted string and twine, multicolored elastics, thread, ribbons, transparent swatches of fabric - all appear, or not, in a particular piece. Globalization and the shrinking of what used to be a "big" world now transcends unique cultural elements and integrates ideas and objects, combining in intriguing ways. It is the experimentation with dissimilar manufactured materials, manipulating them in unfamiliar and interesting combinations is what motivates my work. The plastic mesh, manufactured by extrusion molding machines, is made into garbage bags for Japan, or bags for vegetables and fruit for the grocery industry, or decorative floral wrappings for flower distributors in South America. Transforming these ordinary materials from their intended commercial use to a piece of art not only reinvents the materials used, but is also a metaphor for the perpetual morphing of other global cultural changes reflected and challenged by the integration of political, religious, social and economic ideas, beliefs and standards.

My current body of work includes wall and floor pieces constructed from plastic mesh. It is a fusion of aspects of painting, weaving, craft, fashion and sculpture. Issues of femininity, beauty and cross cultural boundaries form some of its undercurrents. Elements of color, line, texture and pattern figure prominently. My work is large which accommodates scale and asserts the delicate and elusive visual nature of the materials. It is process oriented, and follows an intuitive improvisational approach. It is open to experiences derived from an inner world, what some call spiritual, or as Kandinsky expresses it, from"inner necessity".

In my search for materials, which began on a trip to Taiwan, I found the plastic mesh among several materials manufactured and shipped in enormous room sized containers to countries around the globe. The mesh, once distributed, is widely used by the wholesale grocery industry to create sacks for selling and carrying fruits and vegetables. The cross cultural use of this material intrigued me, and led to my use of patterns, designs and embellishments manufactured by various cultures and some made by me. The mesh possesses weave patterns and transparencies that, when layered and manipulated, relate directly to the effects achieved with water based paint. The subtlety of the colors is greatly enhanced by my layering process. This also deepens the dimensionality of the works, allowing viewers to become more actively engaged.

The underlying structures of my rectangular and circular works originate from the grid and spiral. Combined with the mesh are patterns of multi-colored plastic thread, yarn, painted twine, rope, strings, beads, buttons and small dollops of paint stacked onto small colored foam pieces in geometric shapes. Color is central to the creation of the works and is activated from a personal, even spiritual sense as well as being culturally influenced by current craft and fashion. Light also plays an integral role, enhancing the atmospheric transparency and ephemerality of the mesh, causing the exhibition space to glow.

The delicate look and pastel color range of the mesh gives it an undeniably feminine quality. The work combines a poetic sensibility with a handicraft aesthetic, using cutting, sewing and reassembling techniques to bring out the latent beauty of manufactured materials. There is an intimate look at femininity - at the contradiction of the physical strength and durability of the mesh while simultaneously experiencing its delicate and somewhat fragile appearance. My pieces recall the work of Miriam Schapiro and the Pattern and Decoration Movement of the sixties and seventies involving surface embellishments, bright colors, and craft traditions while maintaining formal sophistication.

My pieces tie together several voices resonating within my thought process. There is the underlying structure of the grid and spiral, the formal considerations of painting and the introduction of the craft traditions of sewing and weaving which have a long history that traverses many cultures. In my work, the mesh has been transformed and manipulated to lead the viewer to take an intimate look at seemingly ordinary materials that because of their context, and what has been done to them, transcend their function.

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