Can cheesecloth look like a piece of heavy solid silver? Can diaphanous netting, through layering and stitching, look like skin? Can plaster take on a high gloss onyx patina or can graphite marks look like chain mail? I have no way of knowing until I make small samples, material studies. These allow me to interrogate both material (wax, fabric, thread, plaster, graphite, spackle, polymer, paint, leaf, etc.) and process (painting, fusing, sewing, tearing, cutting, gluing, wrapping, knotting, connecting, layering, pressing) to develop strategies for larger pieces, to test limits and give me insight into material possibilities. There are always surprises. These small thoughts stay in the realm of becoming, of process, and yet they have their own energy that is often difficult to replicate and sustain in larger pieces.

MATERIAL STUDIES