Artist Statement:
What is a diagram? Do diagrams simplify complex information? Help us to understand what we don't already know? Instruct us on the proper way to do things? Do they help us see more clearly? How much detail must they provide so we understand what to do? Are they always strictly objective, offering only factual information? Do they have to be culturally sensitive in order to be properly interpreted? If a diagram doesn't explain itself, has it failed? What happens when the information it tells us is no longer relevant? What if there's a mistake in the diagram?
I've always responded to instructive diagrams. The premise that following a defined set of instructions will result in a specific outcome is very appealing and reassuring. But the certainty and static quality of a diagram doesn't reflect the unpredictability of life. Change is ongoing; things dissipate, break down, fall apart. My drawings and collages reference the clarity, precision, and flatness of diagrams. They also include gaps, cover-ups, deletions, or patches to counter the intent of a traditional diagram and bring in to question the purpose of my hybrid images. Text often is not legible or doesn't explain, and detail can entice but offer no solid solution. Applying an objective mindset to decipher the images won't result in a singular "correct" outcome because that doesn't exist. The works strive not to explain but engage.