I look for
the unexpected in my work, and make a deliberate effort to cultivate surprises. My ideas
are driven by subconscious thoughts, spontaneous fantasies, and dreams. I have learned to
say things and express ideas with glass that I cannot in voice or word, and so my work
ends up educating me, as long as I am willing to pay attention. I love exploring the
possibilities of surface design and decoration. Some of my recent work features layering
of colors to achieve complex textures often combined with resist sandblasting to create
images, a technique called "graal". Other new work emphasizes my interest in
organic shapes and surfaces by sandblasting and sandcarving forms to achieve a specific
texture which I then highlight with color gradients done in oil paints. Both of these new
directions have moved my vessels further away from their utilitarian roots and toward a
purely sculptural form. Like most artists working in glass, I am hopelessly enamored with
the material, but lately have come to resent some of it's limitations. What if I don't
want a piece to be shiny and smooth? I have attempted to deal with this dilemma by
attacking surface, trying to find deep textures and primordial roughness,but what I have
found instead is more of the beauty of glass. The resulting surfaces are translucent,
glowing, and invitingly touchable. Another surprise.