I am attracted to both the flow of fabric and the elements of construction that transform an unstructured surface into a sculptured form that fits a human body. Seams, edgings, buttons, zippers and all the other ways that cloth becomes clothing find their way into my current body of work.
Like an abstract painting, my work emerges from a process of deconstructing and then reassembling the fractured elements from my collection of discarded clothing. I hand stitch the garment fragments into a low relief sculpture, then solidify the surface by applying multiple layers of canvas priming gesso.
I believe the subdued colors evoke the patina that forms on the surfaces and crevices of ancient statues. And, when combined with the twisted, often inverted garments, they conjure a sense of mystery. While viewing and contemplating the contorted landscape of undulating folds, crisp seams and unusual textures, a narrative emerges, similar to the process of piecing together the vaguely remembered scenes from a dream. Or perhaps they provoke a question: Is this what our own clothing, if carved in marble, will look like centuries from now, when time abandons the fragments?