My muse is a googly-eyed Golem that I place within maquettes I make from clay and construction paper and then paint from life. My Golem is a chameleon in its environment, changing color and purpose. It stares out of the canvas, mouth open in an expression between a smile and a scream. It interacts with figures such as trophy toppers, angel figurines, and holiday collectibles.

The work revolves around American culture’s obsession with holidays and politics. Our identity relies on symbols of Santa for Christmas and flag lapels for patriotism. I am interested in the distortion of these symbols.

I deface my paintings and create a relationship with sculpture and pedestals. “Finished” paintings are subjected to graffiti, a violent scratching of the surface, and the smearing of clay. Some of the pieces are spared from mutilation, while others are left on the verge of suicide. But most are a balance of layers of success and failure and map a complex history of how the work was created.