I often find that when you look at an artist's work, you'll find that they've placed fragments of themselves within it. In mine, you'd find my interest in animals as well as my curiosity for different materials.

 

I grew up around hunters and fishermen, so nature was often within reach. I'm easily inspired by memories of different animals I've seen in person or learned about in books and documentaries. It's not uncommon for me to suddenly go through articles and images of a creature I'd just heard about or one I knew.

 

My work often turns to nature as never-ending discoveries are happening. We find reasons for animal patterns and behaviors that we didn't understand before or find new insects in our own backyards. I enjoy mimicking the life of living things by replicating poses or actions. I'm most often fascinated by anything scaled as the layered patterns can look so simple, but creating it yourself can be incredibly complicated.

 

I find the material of a piece heavily influences the feeling. An iron butterfly can look as beautiful as a paper one, but it feels more grounded and bold than the paper design. This is one of the reasons I enjoy exploring materials and processes. How do you know what feeling you'll want your work to have if you aren't familiar with your options?

 

Curiosity is the most important thing someone should have. Never stop learning or exploring.