Artist Statement

When I work with clay, I enter into a soothing and intimate partnership of mutual respect and recognition. In synchronized movements, my hands flow with the clay, massaging and fashioning the earth as it submissively awaits resurrection.

This intimacy is what I love about sculpture; the mesmerizing alliance I remember even as a four-year-old, playing by a river in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. Enthralled by the soft, supple earth, my imagination took flight at the first touch of clay oozing between my fingers.

As a Buddhist, I have a profound respect for nature and sincerely value the practice of meditation. My belief that natural beauty is more precious than feigned, embellished beauty, has caused me to favor my work with fiberglass resin. Indeed, I am captivated by the challenge to not only make a resin sculpture look real, but to identically duplicate my model in indistinguishable resemblance.

The ecstasy I derive when working with clay is my nirvana, my meditation. Immersed in concentration, the clay and I become one, unleashing my spirit through timelessness and presence. Sculpting sets free my passion for capturing and recreating natural beauty, inspires my imagination, and nurtures my soul in a meditative embrace.