My two sculptures in “Sculpture Now” are both narratives about issues in our current cultural landscape in the United States. “We Are Family” is a family portrait of two parents and two children—even more poignant after the flood of images in the news of children being separated from their parents at our Southern border.

For over 30 years I have collected found objects, mostly plastic, to create figurative assemblage/constructions. I work with industrial hot glue and screws to secure the objects to each other, making figures, animals, birds, sometimes making larger installations of these sculptures in what I call “tableaux.”

The materials are the lowest caste in the hierarchy of debris, but I continue to find inspiration in them. Capturing gesture, form, and movement to bring life to this seemingly worthless material is the essence of my art.

About a decade ago I started casting some of the assemblages into bronze, so the sculpture could be exhibited outdoors or in public areas.

Photo credit: WJJones