Early in my artistic journey, I used colored pencils to create large abstract images by layering lines upon lines of small pencil strokes.
This fascination with lines has carried on into my metal sculptures, which feature many interwoven lines of barbed wires.
Rusty, weathered barbed wires have accumulated rich storytelling energy, as they survived and witnessed decades of social changes. An American invention from 1800’s, barbed wire is designed, manufactured and installed with an intention of hurting any body it touches. Its original use was to outline stolen spaces of the American West, creating confinements for imported animal species ( that decimated native plants and grasses ) while blocking access for the wildlife and indigenous Native Peoples who had roamed freely for centuries.
Now, this jagged wire is found in awful places like prisons, border blockades and refugee encampments throughout the world. Barbed wire is an amazing and perplexing material - despite the awful cruelty it is inherently imbued with, it remains surprisingly commonplace, omnipresent. Harsh, spiky barbs can pierce skin, but also provide convenient hooks to anchor other wires in sculptural weavings.
All the metal in my sculptures, including the barbed wire, is reclaimed industrial material. Other natural elements such as hair, feathers, bones, and fur provide contrasting textures and colors to remind us of who and what has lived on the land.
