The use of gunpowder and the burning process is an essential aspect to how my work is created. It is active and forceful. It is a transformation of elements from one state to another affected by factors outside my control. Outcomes are hoped for but not known. I set up the conditions of the burn but do not control them. The cycles of loss and renewal weave through my work and reflect the calculated unpredictability of the act of transformation.

I work with natural materials because of their endless configurations of pattern and form. While individual plants are diverse and varied, the forms and patterns repeat, sharing relational similarities to other aspects of the natural world. This interconnected structure carries through on all levels and scales and I use these forms to build my work.


Photo: Peter Lee