Artist’s Statement
Looking back, I see that I have always been this way, a contemplative action-figure. From my semi-feral childhood roaming the pastures and woods of Texas, to my adult life exploring more urban environments, I have drawn inspiration from the intersection of nature and human civilization. My hard-working parents managed to provide us with mind-opening books, music, and visits to museums. My favorites were the Aquarium at Fair Park in Dallas and The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago with its glorious dioramas and Egyptian collection. My fascination with archaeology was fed with nutritious films and exotic objects from my grandparents' regular trips to "the old country" in Lebanon, Syria, and surrounding countries of the Mediterranean.
Always a vivid dreamer, I sleep with my eyes partly open. This results in commonplace objects in the room participating in the dream. For instance, patterned sheets may appear as the sky. In waking life, my eyes seem to act as a constantly refocusing viewfinder analyzing compositions and patterns as I walk and ride my bike. It can be a bit distracting, but it is a fountain of ideas.
My artwork is based on these daily encounters, memories, dreams, associations. Some are tinged with sadness, others tell a joke. You may discern my love of costuming and my appreciation for mundane objects. These things find themselves in unexpected settings. Sometimes the wonders of the Middle East mix with reptiles or recipes. Like archaeology, some things are found on the surface mixing with the modern day, but other treasures are deep in the strata. Recurrent themes are masks, my hand tools, maps, reptiles/amphibians, and plants. The overlapping of natural and manmade patterns fascinates me.
Since moving to California in 2016, I have been exhibiting my work around the state and building a following of collectors.
Looking back, I see that I have always been this way, a contemplative action-figure. From my semi-feral childhood roaming the pastures and woods of Texas, to my adult life exploring more urban environments, I have drawn inspiration from the intersection of nature and human civilization. My hard-working parents managed to provide us with mind-opening books, music, and visits to museums. My favorites were the Aquarium at Fair Park in Dallas and The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago with its glorious dioramas and Egyptian collection. My fascination with archaeology was fed with nutritious films and exotic objects from my grandparents' regular trips to "the old country" in Lebanon, Syria, and surrounding countries of the Mediterranean.
Always a vivid dreamer, I sleep with my eyes partly open. This results in commonplace objects in the room participating in the dream. For instance, patterned sheets may appear as the sky. In waking life, my eyes seem to act as a constantly refocusing viewfinder analyzing compositions and patterns as I walk and ride my bike. It can be a bit distracting, but it is a fountain of ideas.
My artwork is based on these daily encounters, memories, dreams, associations. Some are tinged with sadness, others tell a joke. You may discern my love of costuming and my appreciation for mundane objects. These things find themselves in unexpected settings. Sometimes the wonders of the Middle East mix with reptiles or recipes. Like archaeology, some things are found on the surface mixing with the modern day, but other treasures are deep in the strata. Recurrent themes are masks, my hand tools, maps, reptiles/amphibians, and plants. The overlapping of natural and manmade patterns fascinates me.
Since moving to California in 2016, I have been exhibiting my work around the state and building a following of collectors.