ARTIST STATEMENT

My interest in the West and Western society developed long before "Last Best Place" espresso bars and t-shirts. Like many contemporary regional writers, I arrived at my pursuit through personal investigations into family and place. Over the years I have slowly integrated this information into a larger context. In the past I have supported myself by farming, commercial fishing, as a bartender and ranch hand. I have literally and figuratively sweated out any romantic notions I once held about "western-ness." While these experiences are about physicality and solace amidst a beautiful natural environment, they are also about economic stress, injury, death, and beating the odds. The essence of my work has attempted to link these characteristics.

Trained under the influence of late Modernism and practicing within the linguistic chatter of Post Modernism, much of my work has emphasized process and signing. I work in four ways, each with a specific function. Drawing is a mainstay and often the first step in exploring an idea. Painting constructions allow me to link my inclination to work with found materials and construction techniques to that of the history of pictorial space (which I greatly admire). Although labor intensive, installation cannot be denied when it is the most appropriate choice. Lastly, my work with specific sites may represent the most intricate link between culture, art and myself.