Dd working on sculpture, 2013, USA.

Artist Statement
I am a visual artist and educator and at the root of my practise is a desire to uncover that which is being covered up, social injustice, and inauthentic presentation of facts. I am very interested in immigration, of what it means to belong to feel excluded. I create artworks from a variety of materials incorporating many different techniques; printing, moulding, stitching, carpentry, casting, laser cutting and welding.

Artwork that has a strong aesthetic appeal is central to my practice, and I actively use it to draw the viewer in. Once I have them, I can (hopefully) persuaded them to stay, for an argument, a discussion, or perhaps a new understanding of an issue, viewed from a different perspective.

All materials carry with them a history and a cultural reference that I either work with, or work against. For that reason, I work with many different types of materials requiring me to be constantly learning new skills and techniques. I often work with familiar, commonplace materials,  using them against their intended purpose to bring about new meaning: house building construction timber; amazon delivery boxes; discarded brass bullet shells from a gun club. Willow fencing material becomes a statement about exclusion through category and bandages become a metaphor for humanity.