Artist Statement
A major influence on my drawings and sculptures has been that of the arts of the South Pacific. I was born and raised in Hawaii and grew up surrounded by the art of Africa, Japan and Indonesia as my parents were both artists and avid collectors. I also traveled at an early age with my family throughout the South Pacific islands and Australia. This exposure to tribal art of different cultures left a definite impression upon me and influenced my own art of drawing and sculpture years later.
As an artist I discovered the arts of Oceania, which both attracted and repelled me with its power and grotesqueness. I found this particularly true of New Guinea and New Caledonia, yet I keep returning to these sculptures for inspiration.
In my own sculptures in wood or clay, I use the figure as an emotional vehicle upon which I strive to achieve an agitated power by distorting the invented forms and shapes. While in my drawings, I enjoy creating through line both flat and three dimensional, complicated forms that draw the viewer deeper into the image.
More than ever now I find my work constantly evolving, especially through the immediacy of drawing which allows me to experiment, take risks and discover new forms.