Water and Fire. Flesh and Stone. Life and Death. The rebirth of old philosophies and ancient remembrances, the continuation of reflection through the elements, and the abstraction and reconfiguration of ritual processes are elements and concepts brought to bear in the explication of these symbolic forms. These are the subjects of my work as I sculpt, draw, mix, and burn my way through my own spiritual becoming to develop a method for healing the self and transmuting personal potential. Meditation and self-reflection are the foundations of my practice as I work to represent the human evolutionary process through interactions with elemental forces. In creating sculpture, tools, drawings, and rituals, I work to discover how these forces can help us understand ourselves. The artist's process is important to my work and serves as a reflection of the spiritual process. So it is through my studio/performance work that I have chosen to confront my perception of nature, the soul, and material transformation. The creation of my sculptural works often involve some level of ritual and endurance such as walking barefoot in snow, completing arduous tasks without sleep, harvesting wood, and tending fire for long periods of time. These things reflect the possible methods and difficulties we can encounter in the effort to find our awakened selves, while the resulting installations and documentation represent the epiphanies and failures of such undertakings. I also produce community-based work in an effort to connect people to the natural places that intersect with the city. I have put together events and installations near rivers and wooded areas that have involved cleanup projects and collaborative sculpture-making, such as a series of medicine wheels made near the Mississippi River, and a group of fire ceremonies conducted in Northern Bulgaria. Through these goodwill projects, I hope to foster a deeper appreciation of the natural resources available to us and strengthen our relationship to the land on which we dwell. Categories All