“I painted for many years and went on to be a founding member of an artist collective that sought to create a response to the devastating impact of decaying industrial infrastructure on surrounding communities near Pittsburgh by constructing immense sculptures inside abandoned industrial buildings from materials found on-site. While scavenging, I happened on scraps of vintage linoleum, and compulsively began collecting what was to become my new palette and principle medium. For me the material suggested impressionist paintings in the discarded colors and patterns that I found in the trash, and brought to mind artistic heroes such as Klimt and Matisse that created images that incorporated areas of flat patterns. My palette was limited by the scraps I had available, so my first mission was to accumulate as much material as possible by dumpster diving and scouring abandoned houses.
Initially I created simple landscapes and tree images but the subject matters grew more ambitious and complex as I developed a feel for the medium and utilizing its found surface (I don’t add paint any paint so draw upon either the printed detail or its wear and tear.) I also needed to refine my construction technique allowing me to scale up and a wider range of images that drew on the natural world. collective memory, photos, pop culture, iconic news images and artistic references.”
