I've always been fascinated by objects degraded by time and use - rusty truck boxes, scratched tools, bent signage, Boba Fett's helmet. Imperfect veneers that constantly change under the rigors of life: chipped, scratched and faded but still useful. Each mark, gouge and dent tells a story, spins a yarn or becomes a fable because absolute truth, like the past,  no longer exists. As I get older, this ethos is becoming more personal - the dings and patinas we suffer through life transcend wisdom and character creating 'new' beauty.  Paradoxically, it gives us an opportunity - consciously or not - to create myths and mysteries. Our history is a story we tell ourselves. The work explores this concept in minimal forms, muted palettes with nature's input.

My work has a spiritual nod to the Japanese concept of 'wabi-sabi'. Simplistically it's a world view centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of appreciating beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete" in nature. Author Richard Powell distills the belief through a western lens - "Wabi-sabi nurtures all that is authentic by acknowledging three simple realities:  nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect." 

I try to employ a 'circular economy' principle during the creation of my work - using scrap from previous projects, found objects or reclaiming portions that were 'dead ends'. In the latest iteration, I find myself cannibalizing sections of old work and integrating them into new creations with more of the naturally weathered steel being exposed . 

Sub-textually, the work is a critique of conspicuous consumption fueled by the transformation from artisan capitalism to our current neo-feudalist, government corporatism. The former,  which created essential and enduring products has been replaced by a wasteful system which promotes mindless consumerism for temporary objects and short-lived gratification. I think it's incumbent upon artists to be aware of how their uses of matériel and energy impact society at large.