Sanctum. Flamedworked and sandblasted borosilicate glass. Sanctum speaks to my lived experience as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community. The visual language I've developed in my practice includes nests which signify the concept of home or belonging. Additionally I have observed in nature that feathersprovide multiple functions including protection from the elements (waterproofing, thermal insulation ie goose down) as well as serving as a contributor of lift in flight, or lifting a spirit/hope.

Sanctum. Detail 1. Flameworked and sandblasted borosilicate glass.

Sanctum. Detail 2. Flameworked and sandblasted borosilicate glass.

Flame worked borosilicate glass, drift wood. Palingenesia refers to the process of rebirth. I frequent the shores of Lake Ontario to recharge and in doing so I often encounter drift wood. During these explorations I have observed that these pieces of wood signify trees that have reached the end of their life cycle. These sculptures arose from pondering what it might look like if the Spirit of these trees began to grow again.

Flameworked borosilicate glass, driftwood. As a young gay male growing up in rural Upstate NY I endured contstant harrassment and bullying. The forests that surrounded our farm became dnot only a place of refuge but a temple of learning for me. I began to see trees as the Great Connecters, the bridge between the terrestial and the celestial. I also began to see them as conduits of movement I could move up and down them or escape with the vastness of their multitudes.

Flameworked borosilicate glass. Much of my existence as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community involves an awareness and knowledge of being persistently watched and judged by others. Currently (May 2023) in the United States there are 427 pending pieces of legislation that diminish and prohibit the rights of members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Social Disorder is a commentary on these facts.

Flameworked borosilicate glass. Adoloesence is a personal reflection on my upbringing during the 1970-80s as a gay male living in rural Upstate NY. The visual vocabulary I have created uses nests to convey the concept of home or belonging. Understanding the inherent strength of the material allows for the scuplture to sustain an asymetrical imbalance and off-center distribution of weight. This material knowlege also allows for the creation of the support ladders to appear frail and unsteady.

The Memory Basket series stems from personal reflections on the process of againg. Through observation, I replicate the changes I experience in my memory to create delicate, weathered, and loosely-knit containers that rival their former tightly-constructed nature as containers.

Flameworked Cobalt Blue, Blue Caramel, and Clear borosilicate glass. This hanging sculpture is a material demonstration of the strength and manipulative possibilites of borosilicate glass.