Archival photography is the starting point and reference for my work in which I comment on themes such as identity, sense of place, time, and primarily the American worker. The American worker is a metaphor for change and self-definition in contemporary life. Women steelworkers often star in the worker series questioning traditional gender roles.
The photos are enlarged to the scale of a substantial painting which often alters the balance of its contents. I incorporate text, appropriated images, drawing, hand coloring, shards of color and gold - a variety of media which transform and recycle the original photo to a personal aesthetic. My grounding in painting and printmaking disciplines give way to the us of laser xerography, photography, drawing and assembling disparate images. They are my tools for communication and commemoration of the past and present.
