I began as a painter committed to meticulous realism. The more faithfully I could incorporate tiny details from the observed world, the better pleased I was. Back then, I was afraid of ambiguity, and because I wanted life to be firm, definite, and straightforwardly comprehensible, I followed the artistic path of safe and easy imitation.

My ongoing search for self-definition and a life philosophy through the medium of art eventually moved me toward abstraction. Essences were still important, but ambiguity mirrored my life experience, and the opportunity for interpretation opened up attractive possibilities.

My conversion to abstract assemblage art was a natural extension of this developmental direction. In the 1980s I began to add slight three-dimensional details to the flat canvases I was painting. By degrees, this became my principal focus. Initially I constructed most of the projecting surfaces from wood, masonite, and plastic raw materials. Eventually, I recognized that attics, rummage sales, and second-hand shops were filled with already-fabricated objects adaptable to my purposed. I could simply use existing forms, making only minor modifications. I liked the ides of incorporating cast-off objects into esthetic works that combine colorful surfaces and tactile dimensionality. My creations since 1990 are constructed almost exclusively from found objects and pre-used materials.

The challenge is to discover the most interesting possibilities inherent in the miscellaneous
Salvage. I have to adapt (and adapt to) the found material. That necessity has pushed me inevitably away from realism toward abstraction-and it has helped me gain greater appreciation for esthetic form as a pleasurable end in itself. Sometimes I have in mind a theme from my reading or reflection that I try to suggest symbolically; sometimes I simply begin playfully to juxtapose shapes and textures and trust to serendipity. My process relies heavily on my intuitive sense of what is needed.

In addition to wall pieces, I enjoy making freestanding assemblage sculptures. These works present special challenges in physical construction and they present additional esthetic composition challenges because of mulatto-directional viewing and the inherent limitations of my found materials.

People who see my work are often curious about whit it “means”. I hope that viewers will find pleasure-as I do- in the tactile appeal of the pieces, in their geometric tensions, and in the play of lines, angles, and arcs. But frequently something more occurs: abstract elements in the work may evoke for the viewer some familiar image or experience, or perhaps may touch a feeling dimly understood. I am delighted when this occurs, when my assemblages set someone else’s fantasy and creativity in motion. I would like my art to be a catalyst for the viewer’s active imagination rather than stop short at the boundaries of my own.