I’ve always been fascinated by found objects and often I’ll stop to pick up treasures from the side of the road. The small clues to their past provided by their imperfections immediately start my mind wondering how these things came to be where they are. I daydream about who it belonged to, how long it’s been sitting there, and quite often, what it is. These objects, usually metal, but often wood or other material, are the foundation for my pieces. I became interested in giving these things a second life as works of art several years ago, after taking classes at Sloss Furnaces, and learning some of the many ways metal can be manipulated. A friend loaned me her welder and angle grinder, and I began to create. Each piece is an experiment, and a learning experience. With the exception of adhesives, fillers, and finishes all of my pieces are created from recycled, reused or reclaimed materials. In some cases I harvest the raw metal and in others I find the patinas, complete with dings, dents and burns, too beautiful and intriguing to erase. I use a variety of processes and tools including mig and stick welding and oxy/acetylene cutting.