Born in Columbus, Ohio , I was exposed from an early age to the

functional aspects of plastics development and commercial packaging by

my father and grandfather, both pioneers in the plastics industry. As a kid

I was fascinated by the injection mold machines, and the piles of excess

plastic were my first glimpse into the possibility and beauty of the

medium in atypical forms.

Following my college studies in Forestry and Biology, I chose not to

pursue a career in plastics, and instead explored the compulsion I felt to

be involved in and surrounded by nature. I lived off-grid for 10 years,

attempting to be as self-sustaining as possible, constructing my own

housing, water and power systems.

During this time I started up a hand-thrown pottery business and sold

locally to mountain folk, dabbling in sculpture and reigniting my affinity

for 3-dimensional art.

Out of a desire to utilize available resources and explore larger scale

forms, I began to chainsaw-carve, inspired by the natural wildness around

me. After years of perfecting that artform I developed my own personal

technique, to great success with private and commercial clients.

My return to plastics as an art medium grew from my awareness of the

complex ecological problems created by our collective attitudes towards

packaging.

Instead of treating it as a single-use material, I wanted to explore ways to

utilize it as a reusable oil-based resource, and give it greater exposure

through artworks.

Long obsessed with the effects of light and color through glass, I began to

experiment with introducing pigments into plastic, stumbling through

trial and error on a way to replicate similar reflections and refractions.

This glass-like appearance allows me to play with the viewer's assumption

about the material; this creates surprise, interest, and hopefully inspires a

rewired mindset about single-use plastics by demonstrating the beauty

and variety that is possible.