Artist Statement

When I begin a collage I often start with an idea generated by a particular image.  Using the constraint of working with found images I build the picture, trying out many combinations and arrangements until the final composition emerges - often quite different from my original mental image. 

I find collage a very liberating medium.  Without all of the various assorted images to play with, to arrange and rearrange, I would never think of the stories which emerge as I work.  It's a very time-consuming process.  Sometimes I am too devoted to an idea - the picture as preconceived in advance - and it is a struggle to resolve the composition.  When a collage is s­uccessful, disparate cut-outs, paint, and idea come together as a seamless whole.