ARTIST STATEMENT

I was raised in Lawrenceville, Virginia and earned a BFA at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond Va. I am now a New York area sculptor, painter and installation artist. In the past I was art director for Elizabeth Arden and Estee Lauder. I owned and operated a graphic design company in NYC called Hart Design specializing in cosmetic design.

My work examines the perception of women in contemporary society as informed by their portrayal in history and myth. My figurative sculpture, installation and painting embraces ornate found object assemblage based on the female figure, as I work to merge the past with the present. My method is rooted in the mastery of combining many techniques, including welding and soldering of metals, clay sculpting, and wood carving. I find that the layering of different mediums strengthens my concept.

Surrealism and the Renaissance influence my work. My standing life size sculptures inhabit an allegorical tale. My paintings with fabricated embellished frames form the background of the scene. My goal is to illustrate how society’s contemporary view of women has evolved, and yet has not fully progressed, from the historical myth.