I am interested in exploring the way my experience of religion effectively separated me from others, and even parts of myself. Growing up in the Catholic Church, in an Irish Catholic family, I saw how beliefs were considered sacred and spilled over into political life. As I grew older, and searched for new ways to relate to the larger world, I found inspiration in ancient cultures and ritual objects. My work is a way for me to explore and challenge my relationship to “the other.”

I use the forms and titles of traditional religious objects in my sculptures as a foundation for my work. I've taken the idea of the tabernacle, as an object to house the sacred body and blood of Christ, and inserted my own content. In this way I am challenging the idea of who “belongs” there.

Much of the visual style of my work comes from my study of ancient ritual objects. I feel related to these artists of the past. I have been inspired particularly by Mayan ceramic vessels, Canaanite burial pods, Egyptian canopic jars, and Sumerian votive figures. My favorite works express a deep connection to our shared humanity and to the natural world. They transcend the culture in which they were created and connect us to each other on an emotional level.

In addition to drawing upon religious objects in my work, I have also been exploring more modern mythologies and popular stories. Recently, I have been integrating characters and colors from the story of Alice in Wonderland into my sculptures. I can relate to Alice, who has fallen into a world that does not make sense, and yet still struggles to find meaning. The white rabbit is also a sympathetic character- the “everyman,” who seems to embody the stresses of modern life as he serves his queen, attends obligatory social events, and multi-tasks his way into a perpetually harried existence.

My work has been a way for me to process the alienation of my past, and to challenge the beliefs that create boundaries between ourselves and the natural world.

The form of these sculptures is inspired by a Canaanite burial pod I viewed at the University of Pennsylvania Museum. I was struck by the Canaanites use of clay to encase the remains of a loved one- its form resembled that of a seed to be replanted into the earth. On the front of the pod was a face enraptured, with two arms and hands coming around from the sides in what looked like a lover's embrace.
Many cultures have used clay to honor the body, as seen in Egyptian canopic jars, Mayan ritual vessels, and Chinese funerary sculpture, among many others. In my work, I've used clay and traditional forms as a structure to present my experiences as a human in 2015. Technically, there is a logic and beauty in creating these ancient forms, but I think I enjoy just as much the sense of connection to our shared humanity and the past. I also certainly feel free to adapt the forms for my own purposes. These pieces have become my way of participating in a larger world.

 In the Catholic and Hebrew traditions, a tabernacle is a sacred dwelling place, usually a box or vessel,  to house their deity, or a manifestation of that deity.    In the series of tabernacles I've made, I am using this form of religious vessel as a dwelling place for my own purposes-sometimes as a means to honor the ideas and individuals I am portraying, and at other times to subvert the traditional use of the tabernacle itself.  

In 2015 I began a series of clay axes, "Night Axes," and continued to add to the "Tabernacle" series. The night axes are similar to the night vessels and tabernacles I've made before, except in this form they are weaponized. Nearly all of my sculptures have ritual and personal functions- the night axes are more proactive at battling my demons. While my sculptures serve me personally, I operate under the assumption that I am not unique, and that what I find beautiful, truthful or meaningful, others may as well. For me, making "art" is about discovering and sharing what I find l with other people, and in that way affirming our humanity and creating meaning.

All pieces have been made out of clay.

These pieces are part of a persistent interest I have in incorporating nature and animals into my work.  The smaller pieces are where I work out a lot of the ideas that eventually become larger work.  For example, I wanted the rabbits to have some human qualities, so worked with representing their anatomy in a more human way.  Their eyes are more forward facing, and their arms and legs work more like human parts.