STATEMENT

I Make Things That Mean Things

In my works with text, I am exploring the semantic malleability of language and semiotic influence of form, though it is my ultimate ambition to create work that is aformal. These explorations are generally traversed by way of fragmentation, juxtaposition, and context. 

With fragmentation, I isolate phrases and word pairs encountered in innocuous contexts and attempt to re-inject them with meaning. A highway sign announcing YOU ARE NOW ENTERING HALE COUNTY becomes simply, YOU ARE NOW. At its core, the meaning of this phrase remains unchanged; it calls attention to the time and place the reader currently occupies. Absent a specific indication of place, however, the phrase becomes more question than answer, encouraging the reader to contemplate the inherent equivalency of "here" and "now".

With juxtaposition, as with context, it is the addition of elements rather that the subtraction of them that modifies the meaning of the word/s. This often involves the use of dichotomous messages and media ("Everything is OK" on caution tape, or "Money is a Waste of Time" on currency" as examples). Sometimes the location where the artwork is installed or viewed is the modifying context that distinguishes its relevancy.

My work is an expression of my love of language, essence, and the agreement of meaning. I regard my work as occupying the grey space between poetry and visual art, both of which share characteristics of brevity and immediacy, yet offer plumbable depths of indefinite meaning beneath their superficial appeal.