Background

In art school, I developed an interest in Art Povera. The work of Merz, Penone, Pistoletto felt right to me. On a pilgrimage to Torino and Castello di Rivolli, I learned about the politics and student movements informing the work, but also grew to appreciate even more the use of ready-made materials. The work was ingenious, provocative and importantly to me, also charming. My art school work often took inspiration from charming poor materials.

After art school, working out my NYC bathtub in the kitchen apartment, I focused more on drawing. My first realized work was a collection of twenty-five 8 1/2 x 11 copy paper drawings, using black pen or marker. They were mounted to stretched matching-size canvases, and exhibited adjacent to each other like dominos. It was a long series of actions/reactions. The work, "Drawings on a Domino Motif," was exhibited at UC Davis.

My focus continued to be drawing and small works on paper. I was inspired by a variety of sources, Tom of Finland, early cartoons, the small intimate paintings of Pietro Longhi, mystical art, and also the obsessively beautiful use of graphite by Vije Clemens. The body of work even contained two high-relief wall sculptures in bright colors, sort of medieval light. I had been in ActUp, I had studied semiotics, I was generally overwhelmed and wanted to focus closer to home, on the small things in my life.

Despite the body of work I exhibited, I still explored ready made “poor” objects. These objects, made out of scrap plastic, foam, wire, fabric, found wood, wire hangers, shared with the drawings an approachability, but were much lighter. They had a sprezzatura, however, I did not feel confident of their value. Strangely, even though Feature gallery was home-base, I did not see the affinity with the amazing work of B. Wurtz.

Jump 25 years and I have been mostly focused on these found material objects, where my rule is don’t overwork it… do what is required and stop. I am also slowly resuming some drawing. My first project in 2023 was to finish the Gay Alphabet from the 1990s. That is not new work, but work that I had abandoned half way and felt compelled to finish. Since then, I have made an annual small drawing for the Postcards from the Edge fundraiser. That and some doodles have been it, except for one new color pencil drawing that picks up from Scenes of the artist’s Life. This year I am excited to dive back into some more drawing, while still following my curiosity in the physical objects I am assembling.

Los Angeles, CA February, 2026