Oftentimes the military and the arts are perceived as diametrically opposed. As it is true with most oversimplifications, the relationship between the two is far more complex.

 Through my work I investigate instances where visual art and the military intersect. As an artist whose perspective of the world was strongly shaped by being the son of a career marine and the grandson of an army officer, I am interested in framing the military within a larger, multi-faceted cultural context: complicated family webs and communities, structural pedagogy and systematized aesthetics. Reflecting the nuances of these connections requires an interdisciplinary approach, which begins with painting and carries over into video, participatory works and sculpture.

 Recently, I have been working with military surplus materials that I have inherited and purchased. Painting, cutting, sewing, stretching, and foldingthe used (or issued) duffles, equipment bags and errata, creates a shift in my work. The recontextualization of the surplus materials allows for a place where personal sentiment and critical dialogues emerge, conflict and hopefully resolve.