I have a B.F.A. in printmaking from San Diego State University but my current work has nothing to do with printmaking.  I have always loved toys as pop icons in their own right and have discovered a way to create larger works that still allow the component parts to retain their original design integrity.  My pieces are assembled from mostly plastic parts, primarily toys, that are gleaned from thrift stores and garage sales.  Fabric, metal, glass, wood or any other material may also find it’s way into a piece where appropriate.  Sometimes the final product is painted to give it uniformity, in other cases the original colors are retained.

          Several schools of art have had an influence on my work.  The Dadaist concepts of taking something useful and making it useless and of the “ready made” or found object are central.  A piece is suggested by the parts I find and the final product is created by an involved process of “playing” with different pieces to fit them together into a cohesive whole.  The surrealist idea of everyday objects in unusual or dreamlike context is another key to my creative process.  Finally, the pop art school with its emphasis on the cultural artifact as art leads to the use of factory mass produced toys as a way of connecting with the viewer.  A comment like “Hey, that’s a Super Soaker,” is proof to me that someone has been drawn into the piece.