Reed

Rattan reed became an unintentional focus for my base material. I was completing "Nesting Instinct,” a papier-mâché and accretion sculpture, when I noticed a handful of reed resting on my studio shelf. The resulting combination was the perfect material to resolve the sculpture. I began to see reed in a completely new way.

I had limited basketry experience, and my large reed forms are not woven in the traditional method but shaped, clamped, tied, and glued (see “Set Free”)

My reed work surfaces are coated in a variety of materials: construction-grade rubber, encaustic wax, mica dust, and specialty paints that mimic iron or copper patinas, cloaking them in the suggestion of heavy metal. In this series, the open gestural exoskeletons deceive. At times they appear to be line drawings melding into the surface to which they're secured. Light and shadow allow the viewer to see through and around the forms. Texture, shadow and line enhance the multidimensional experience — hard to capture in a photograph.

My unconventional use of materials again melds into a new mix of mediums.