Revival Studio

are drivin' down that road to ruin." In a perverse way I am enjoying every minute of the drive. Now that I have brought up the negative impacts the car has had on our society, you might feel trapped in our culture, where you literally need one or two cars to survive. Mix in the good experiences you have had with the automobile, fond memories of family vacations in your family car, your first kiss in a car, or your wheels were so reliable it was like having a best friend. My work explores the conflict. The feelings I have about cars and trucks are flooded with romantic and nostalgic admiration for these rolling sculptures. My earliest memories are experiences with vehicles. The romantic feeling I get when I see abandoned vehicles sitting in a field or on the edge of a wood runs deep. These "sites" are exciting discoveries- perfect just the way they are. They become an image in my mind that I hold onto and look forward to seeing again. They are in the process of deterioration, a state that is hard to preserve. In my constructions I strive to capture the initial intrigue and excitement of discovering these "sites". In an idyllic way I am preserving these images as a capsule of feeling and time. License plates, especially the older ones that are bent, rusted, and full of character, catch my attention. The state, date, numbers, and letters all are ripe with associations. Each person has his or her own automotive experiences and can identify with the year, or maybe the state of a plate. They become familiar icons and our common everyday associations are telltale signs of the extent to which the automobile has infiltrated our lives. The plates are also an allegorical reference to all the nameless automobile owners we have become. And isn't it ironic that each plate is as unique as each one of us? In my work I use license plates as my main material to help express the melancholy feeling I have about the automobile and it's place in our society. I also draw my inspiration from the Surrealist and Dada movements- particularly Marcel Duchamp, the organized chaos of Edward Klineholtz, Robert Rauschenberg, Arman, and of course my favorite, Joesph Cornell. They have all shown me how to tell my stories using provocative assemblages. I feel compelled to produce my work, almost like an obsession. My constructs are created from common objects that are combine to express a very personal view. Having worked in many mediums, and enjoyed each one, I feel fortunate to have discovered the freedom of assemblages and constructions. Drawing, painting, sculpting, collecting found objects, photography, wood and metal working, buying toys, wrecking toys- all are now part of my creative process. All my glass, plywood, metal, and most other materials I have scavenged because it is important to me to reuse material wherever possible. I hope you enjoy my work. May it inspire you to react creatively to your experiences driving down that road to ruin. Commissions are welcome.