rourke & rupert

Rourke and Rupert are two members of the quintet of robots that are debuting this month at a local library show.  My artist statement below perhaps best sums up my feeling about these quirky creations.

I like to think of myself as a collector of memories. Sometimes these memories are my own, the type we all have from a life of growing, changing, working, interacting, living, and loving. But, I also collect a different sort of memories: those that are not my own and whose very essence will forever remain a mystery to me. Years of scavenging through flea markets, tag sales, and thrift stores has left me with quite the collection of various odds and ends: everything from button boxes to old photographs of strangers to miscellaneous hardware and Scrabble tiles. I consider all of these objects to be “memory-holders” who’ve lost their owners. While their memories may not be known to me, someone, somewhere is connected to them.

I sometimes wish I knew just some of the many stories behind the motley assortment of objects I’ve collected through the years. Where is the house whose key now lies in my possession? Who sat in front of that old Bingo card that I now hold in my hand? How well-traveled are the bolts and nails that somehow ended up with me?

In creating this collection of artwork, I wanted to assemble a group of “memory keepers,” a ragtag band of robots who are comprised of misfit memories. I suppose, in some small way, this is my attempt to give new life to lost remembrances.