Volcano Arts : The Muse

My found art assemblages are composed of natural or salvaged objects which are recycled and re-seen in my work. The enclosed spaces in the box are small environments where I create small worlds. I breathe new life into these discarded remnants so that they can be appreciated and revered in ways they never were in their previous lives as common objects. Each fragment is like a player on a stage and has its own unique story to tell. The bringing together of all those varying "players" gives each "play" an originality not previously seen. I am the casting director, playwright, producer and director of my own mini-productions.

Hunting and gathering is an integral aspect of my creative process and takes me to the most interesting places to find materials for this art form. I gather vast amounts of discarded and broken objects which find new life in the assemblages. I am both a collector and a creator of things. My assemblage objects are used with a new identity and assembled so that their original function is no longer evident. A new purpose with a new meaning transforms the objects. I select certain objects because they simply appeal to my senses. The constant challenge of using the objects in a new context demands a fanciful imagination.

I create intuitively and the art unfolds from an unconscious place within myself. The assemblages develop as they are brought together piece by piece. Seemingly unrelated objects are combined to create wholeness. "The whole is greater than the sum of all its parts."

Working with the rejected and throw-away objects of our society has made me reflect on man's incessant desire for more material things. Man yearns for more "stuff" but remains unsatisfied. The never ending cycle of "acquire and discard" continues and it is with these objects that I create my art.