Concepts of fragility, compulsion and ritual are recurring themes in my work. Using the figure as a starting point, I pair it with other items, often lace and botanical specimens, which I find intriguing because of their innate ability to hold history and memory in their form. As I make each piece, whether I am using encaustic painting or fused glass, one element will often emerge stronger than the other and vice versa. The process of ‘making’ often reveals to me what the work is about which I find fascinating.

The paintings start with an archival pigment print that merges my own photographs of the figure with found digital images of horticulture specimens and actual lace. On the computer, I blend the elements together and print them on paper. The paper pieces are mounted to a wood panel and layered with encaustic paint which is made up of beeswax and colored pigment. The pieces are often covered with 8-10 layers of very transparent color and in each layer I embed small elements that appear to float in the atmospheric space that the wax creates. The result is an ethereal space that reflects the fragility of the time we live in.