Growing up in Colorado, a good part of my childhood was spent exploring the Colorado Rockies through hiking, camping, skiing and boating.  I recall many weekends several families would assemble in the early morning hours and drive to our mountain destination to begin our adventure.   Those leading the adventure would hover around worn out topographic maps as they planned our course. Now, years later I am still intrigued by topographic maps.  I use this imagery to map figures, boats and animals.  

For a short time, my family housed a boat in our garage, which provided an imaginative refuge. My father was an avid sailor and spent time showing me illustrations of boats, which also became a source of inspiration for my future work. My clay sculptures and two-dimensional art often feature boats, nautical symbols, sea charts as well as topographic maps. 
 
As my family adventures began with the physical movement of one step in front of the other, I begin my clay narratives by sculpting a figure to initiate the journey I am creating.  Imagery from the nautical or animal world is then placed on or around the figure just as the environment envelopes around us as we walk or hike into it.    The surface of my figures (the skin) becomes a canvas on which I show evidence of the travels through mark making, use of color and decal imagery.