My formal art education started with a specialization in printmaking. I began to explore combining different printing techniques because I felt that the juxtaposition of one technique, like silkscreening, against another technique, like lithography, created more depth in the final print. I realized that my ability to create an illusion of entering into the heart of the piece was what I was striving to achieve. I still wasn’t satisfied. I desired a process of creation that was more visceral, demanding from me a more physical strength. This need led me to my current signature technique which is the layering of weathered wood to create three dimensional representations of architecture.

I have participated in many shows where the context is outside of a typical gallery setting. These public shows have granted me exposure to a more diversified audience and I have had the privilege of interacting with a lot of my viewers. I found that the feedback I was receiving contained a common articulation. There was a shared affinity for the fact that my subject matter was of old buildings built with simple materials - wood, brick, and stone. The experience of viewing my work seemed to bring people back to a particular time and place. Even if they were not familiar with that exact building it reversed them to similar buildings they would pass by everyday, on their way to perform the ordinary and simple routine of life. The buildings I choose to depict are not grand buildings, nor places of obvious cultural importance and significance, however they are the buildings where the products of our culture have been produced, where the everyday occurrence of taking a dream and creating a product to exist in our reality occurs.

The question arises why are these buildings important to people? Could it be that they are more than just visual landmarks? Bound inside their walls are the stories of the people of these communities– the dreams of fathers and mothers, newly arrived immigrants, women who replaced men on the assembly lines during the war, the visions of emerging entrepreneurs. All of these stories become the identity of that area. When the buildings become abandoned, fall into disrepair, or are demolished, how does the dissolution affect that identity?

I am currently producing a collection of selected buildings indicative of New York’s industrial heritage, incorporating all five boroughs. In my online research I have come across blogs where the questions posed above are being explored. Some of the people on these blogs express a sense of loss once a factory in their neighbourhood is redeveloped. They wonder if they could have stopped it. Should other options have been explored? Collectively do they have a voice?

The one blog that is of particular interest to me is with regards to The Revere Sugar Refinery in Red Hook, Brooklyn. I produced several pieces of this building and since that time it has been demolished.

I will be returning to New York to continue my research and documentation. My plans are to make strategic connections with preservation societies. My vision for this collection is to draw attention to these unsung industrial buildings as they are not usually celebrated and are often overlooked.

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