Former & Current Work
I've made many different kinds of work, from paintings to installations using light, sound, smell, fiber-optics, and fire among other materials. I've loved making the large scale sculpture as well, using stone, steel and in one, a 50 ft piece made for a Cesar Pelli performing arts center in Charlotte NC, had fiber optics to mimic fire flies in a jar.
I have always had a keen interest in social justice, which has resulted in activism. Usually the political work does not overlap with the visual work, because I think art work deals with larger universal truths and not with current events. However a recent piece, which was a political post card series, has spawned another post card idea called "Stop the War", which is the project I am asking help to fund.
Ten years ago I started preparing pre-printed messages and addressed postcards to elected officials because one would receive emails asking us write our Senators and members of Congress. Back then there were never numbers or addresses, so making pre-printed ones made good sense. Now it's just one click on our computers and our quilt is assuaged. Although these easy to click petitions are great, I believe that when an elected official receives a significant number of actual mailings, with real signatures, home addresses and comments on them, it makes more of an impression on them. I also think, especially after making the 'Stop La Entrada' cards where an image reinforcing the message in a humorous, eye catching way is more effective in getting our collective voice heard.
La Entrada was a program to increase truck traffic from Mexico to Midland/Odessa, Texas. The plan was to enlarge the highways and let unregulated Mexican trucks cross the border. There were problems to this plan - the highways went straight through the center of many small towns where children play in the streets. The added pollution and 24 hour noise levels as these trucks rumbled by homes would have hurt the health and well-being of a vulnerable, poverty based population.
