Artist Statement

Our world contains many wondrous life forms that to our perception are often ugly, evil or abhorrent to humankind. Life on our planet continues to renew itself as the creatures die. Death has a kind of beauty, as it symbolizes decay, returning to the earth, and thus creating material from which new life can grow.

A critic commented on Georgia O'keefe's work: "The abundance of visual stimuli prompted her to focus selectively on particular aspects of the scenery, it seemed to overwhelm the other artists, who tried to incorporate too much in each picture."

My designs embody a few simple elements. I strive more to instill a sense of wonder (or even to shock the viewer) rather than produce a tranquil scene.

Juxtaposing dissimilar components; skulls and ants or skulls and flowers, provides contrast in the work. Mandala arrangements around a central point symbolizes the "sipapu", or hole in the earth that the Hopi believe all life emanated.