Working around the Primitive concept I maneuver through a wide variety of media. As a process and concept based artist I am comfortable working in many different media. I am very focused on an intuitive creative process, and rarely start a piece with a clear intention of what the end result will be. Thematically I shift widely, but tend to be fixated on certain themes, like houses one week or the Rosenbergs the next. No matter what the theme I like to work quickly, and on multiple pieces at a time.
In the last few years my art practice has focused on printmaking and collage. I am drawn to collage because I can work with images that have already been created. Most of the images I use are from old books and magazines, which have become irrelevant with age. In a similar way that I scavenge building materials from abandoned houses, I scavenge these forgotten images and recontextualize them into something important again. I like making collages because I have always thrived living off the scraps of society. Printmaking allures me because virtually all the tools and processes are obsolete with the advent of computer-generated technologies. I would argue however, that printmaking generates far superior quality prints and fosters much greater creativity because it is less controlled.
In addition to that formal work, I have been pursuing another body of work influenced by my living in Detroit for the last three years. In this time I have gained a new understanding of what art is. I have learned that art is more than a commodity, or a decoration. It can be an opportunity and an instigator to educate, and bring people together. With this belief I have spent less time in the studio and more time working in my community at a place I co-founded called The Yes Farm. We act as ambassadors for the arts, bringing art into the lives of the people around us, educating, organizing and stimulating our community through the arts. In return we learn skills back from our neighbors, and are blessed to live in a neighborhood of mutual giving and respect. This I consider my work in the studio and in the community equally important parts of what makes me an artist.
