Birch - Bamboo and Elephant Grass Artwork

I grew up in the structured house of an engineer and a teacher. While the bones and foundation of this house were sound, cancers grew within the walls which formed within me a desire to rebel and escape. My childhood tended toward artistic pursuits, drawing intricate copies of Escher and da Vinci, writing sonnets, pouring over books of antique arms and armor, dreaming of castles and cathedrals. Always in love with history and classical art I took images and memoirs of what I learned into my psyche - and they have stayed with me. It was as if I were storing these collections like pennies in a jar to be used on some distant rainy day. Then I had to get a job... Now, many years later, I have dusted off that jar of penny-thoughts and am using them as my tools to create fantastical compilations of human and machine, classical and industrial. There is sound structure within my pieces but they rebel against what we see as reality. Captivated by the idea of alternative perspectives I want those who inspect my work to see the beauty of form and be intrigued by the mechanical foundations. I want the viewer to be drawn to the illusory patinas and mechanisms - to walk the line between dream and reality.