Statement

As an artist and former factory worker from Northwest Ohio, The representation of “lived-in” spaces has always been an important factor in my work. For years, I have sought to capture the abandoned buildings that surrounded me. Oftentimes these buildings are demolished, wiping them from history and erasing any record of the lives associated with these spaces.

I am intrigued by the haunting records of those who have left their mark in a space. For me, the erosion and deterioration of these spaces mirror a slow decline of the working class. Thus, I continue to document these spaces and spend time with them because I will most likely be their final witness. Inevitably, these buildings are torn down and replaced with a parking lot or another gentrified suburb.

These are the thoughts I regularly consider as I begin a new painting or salvage another damaged brick. Consequently, I continue to depict these “communal blights”; my work seeks to question the historical and social value of these spaces by studying their decaying remnants.