As I watch my 40th birthday looming ominously on the horizon, I find myself in a perilous battle. One part of the right side of my brain is constantly aware of the ways a person my age- a so-called “adult”-is supposed to be and act. The other part of the right side of my brain is occupied by the constant impulses to watch Degrassi High and to buy a Hello Kitty toaster oven. The left side of my brain does not participate in this struggle; in fact, I’m not entirely certain that the left side of my brain even works. Like identity, my current body of work can’t be placed neatly into a small box, or summarized in the recommended length of half a page.This work blurs the line between two dimensions and three dimensions, between abstraction and narration, between highbrow and lowbrow, between being childlike and wise beyond its years. Having been executed with meticulous restraint, it’s nonetheless spontaneous and improvisational. My materials include colored Plexiglas, painted wooden forms, collage, drawings and found objects. I’ve consciously applied the disciplined fabrication skills I learned as a sculptor and jewelry-maker, to elements usually associated with youth culture, such as cartoons, comics, color, pattern, and overall goofiness. As a high school art teacher, I have been profoundly impacted by my student’s ability to explore and experiment with their materials, to play with total freedom and abandon. I try to approach each piece with that same curiosity and the desire for discovery, to get someplace new, never knowing exactly what to expect. My goal has always been to incorporate diverse materials, motifs and subject matters into a fresh aesthetic that’s intended for adults, but that captures the free-spirited exuberance of youth.