Thanks for visiting my website. I am sculptor living in Brooklyn, New York, who makes sculpture from tree branches. I make individual pieces and also larger installations.

Artist Statement

I grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, in a neighborhood rich with trees. My mother and grandparents were devoted gardeners and instilled in me a love of flowers and plants. After college, I eventually settled in Brooklyn, where I have lived for over 30 years. Being in New York City, I’ve been privileged to know many artists and experience a great diversity of exhibitions that have informed my art practice.

In making sculpture with tree branches, I am able to study the branches closely and gain a deeper appreciation of nature. Each type of twig has its own form, texture, color, hardness, and internal structure. I love to explore how the branches divide and send forth new growth; I find these areas to be beautiful and suggestive of hope for the future. I’m also fascinated that branching occurs in many other places in nature, such as in our body’s circulatory and nervous systems, in rivers and streams, in antlers, and in lightning, for example.

The shadows created when the sculptures are lit are also compelling to me. They are a reflection of the sculpture, and yet they are quite dissimilar. They are a different color and are much more two-dimensional than the sculpture itself. I find the contrast between the sculpture and the shadows to be fascinating, and the shadows themselves to be mysterious. They are immaterial and ephemeral; with the flick of a light switch, they are gone.

I am also very interested in the movement of the sculptures when they are suspended. The movement causes the appearance of the sculpture to change continuously, providing an evolving experience for the viewer, and leads the cast shadow to keep moving as well. The motion is variable depending on air currents—the sculptures pause, speed up and slow down, and reverse direction.

In working with sculpture, shadows, and movement, I aim to engage people on several levels.  I also hope that my artwork directs the attention of viewers to the great beauty and majesty of our natural world, which is so threatened at this time.