There is a tension that rises when humans interact with nature.   The beauty is inspiring but the chaos is too frightening for us to honestly engage without exerting some form of control. Whether that control be air conditioning, heating, shelters, roads or bridges, humans need to feel that we have mastered the interaction we have with nature. We camp, climb rocks, surf and yet are distraught when things go badly and leave us with a ruined day, injury or even death. There is a complex psychology behind our choosing to live in flood plains or deserts as though by bringing the right irrigation we could possibly attain our own slice of perfection here on earth no matter what the environment is naturally.  Through mapping, excavation and landscaping we attempt to exert our control over chaos. The tension that arises from that act is that we are claiming domination over something we have no control over. 

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In my work, my control (or lack-thereof) of the physical materials are important because the add to the internal coherence of these pieces. Beeswax is a wonderful, natural substance that appears in many of my works. The physicality of the medium lends itself to layering that creates rich texture, yet can also be melted and re-worked or carved into to create different effects such as lines and boundaries. 

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Playing off of traditional map-making, I explore the many interactions between humans and nature through the convergence of space, line and organic form. Every map is a visual record of an individual's direct perception of their environment through logical measurement and physical properties such as hills, valleys, plains, rivers or oceans. Yet, nature is constantly in flux. As soon as the pen leaves the paper, that record becomes outdated. This process of constant change and human intervention is expressed through line, color, pattern and texture, making map-like images that are not directly readable or recognizable so as to explore the ambiguity within humanity's attempts to control the uncontrollable.