I began making art more than 15 years ago when my TV broke in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I wanted to do something more creative and meaningful with my time so I taught myself how to make art through experimentation with found objects and various mediums. Everyday objects carry their own meanings that can be twisted and transformed with new associations. I find new lives for a wide variety of recycled and reclaimed objects, including 19th-century tintype photos, computer hardware, cell phone circuit boards, melted vinyl records, vintage toys, and rusty tools.

Art is many things – visceral, emotional, poetic – but it isn’t rational or objective. Art is a shared moment and an unspoken bond between the artist and viewer. In that silent conversation, my work speaks about love and war, religion and patriotism, icons and demagogues, and our materialistic society. My art expresses my hopes and fears about this brave new world we live in, where our obsession with technology undermines our humanity and our rampant consumption threatens our planet.

Despite these challenges, I am optimistic about the future and the enduring power of the human spirit. Art has no boundaries and can be a shout of dissent, a raucous joke, or whispered confidence. The simple joy of living pervades the still silence of the universe. We just need to be quiet and listen.