ARTIST PROFILE AND STATEMENT

I have been creating art ever since I can remember. I drew on my parent's basement walls; melting crayons on the basement kerosene heater, creating (unknown to myself at the time) encaustics and creating sculptures from junk metal. My childhood was rich with the influences of the north central Nebraska landscape, my parents, relatives and many excursions to old junk yards. I was given the gift of curiosity and observation of my surroundings at an early age.

I received a B.F.A. with a commercial Art Comprehensive Degree from Kearney State College after attending many art classes and workshops at Northeast Technical Community College. My journeys and experiences have led me in many directions, such as taking more art and computer graphic classes, conducting art workshops, scenic painting of movies and plays, restoring church statues and exhibiting in numerous art shows locally and nationally.

Currently I am busy creating mixed media masks, which are called the Bad Hair Day Series, The Mask on Mask Series, The Metal Mask Series, The Masque Debout Series, The Knob Mask Series, The Mask Totem Series and The Guardian Head Series. In all of these mask series I use a lot of materials that I recycle, such newspaper, metal, plastic, old jewelry, etc. I collect all my “treasures” from salvage yards, trash bins, the streets, garage sales and auctions.

I have always maintained this thought: “Art has always been a big part of my life. To me art is the expression of not only my thoughts, experiences and emotions, but of my observations of other people and their lives. My mixed media masks consist of a variety of mediums and found objects. The masks are expressions of form, color, texture and the breaking up of planes, focusing on conveying the humorous and sometimes not so humorous follies of our everyday lives. I strive to evoke humor with the ambitions, virtues, simplicities or just plan silliness of human beings. My masks are not meant to be worn, they symbolize who and what we are, what we could or want to become and also what we do not want to become.”