Cultural House of Cards | 2015
This house of cards symbolizes the fragile cultural
structure we build together in our societies,
and the beauty within each part of it.
The Green Hill School is juvenile detention/re-education center in Chehalis, WA. The serenity and
calm of the grounds are a stark contrast to the situations and circumstances that have led the residents to this
place. Like a house of cards made of souls the residents are here to rebuild a life that has fallen down around
them. A house of cards is made of many individual cards that each has to do its duty to uphold its corner of the
structure. The back of each card blends all of these designs and is framed with columns that represent justice
and structure. There are four face cards in this deck and their designs are drawn from the corners of the world.
Drift Inversion | 2017
In a developing Denver neighborhood, growing where Stapleton Airport once was, this corner of
the Denver metro area was once covered in sand dunes. They were the inspiration for “Drift Inversion,” a
painted aluminum installation that turns the original landscape upside-down, and transforms an otherwise cold
and dark space into a place of wonder and warmth.
The concept transforms a public space into a contemporary artistic experience that is so popular in gallery installations these days. This takes that same idea and puts it in a place for all to enjoy for free, even for those who may never set foot in a gallery or museum.
The Ghost School | 2017
In the waters around my home on the Salish Sea numbers of Herring, and important small fish
that once gathered there by the millions, are depleted leaving a crippling hole in the food chain. In Lake
Michigan near the Kohler Factory ,where this was made, the local bait fish, the alewives, are down in
numbers and the Salmon fishery has been effected by the lack of their main food.
I had no idea how well this project would resonate with the associates in the factory who have a deep love
for hunting and fishing and the outdoors in general. It soon became very apparent what a universal metaphor
this was, everyone could put themselves into this concept on some level. The drama of the 2015 UAW strike
at the factory only illustrated this point more as the workers, many of whose signatures are etched on many of
the fish, had gone out on strike during my residency.
Note: The text above was written by the Artist. No modification was made by C.O.C.A.
My art career began as I attended airplane mechanics school and I became part of a graffiti crew in Denver, Colorado 25 years ago. I knew I wanted to work with my hands but instead of working on mechanics I found myself compelled to draw and cut stencils in every spare moment. I moved to the Northwest to complete my journey into airplane mechanics and I instead delved into studying the regional arts of the Pacific Northwest. I have won the Americans For The Arts, Public Art Network’s Public Art Year in review two times for large scale commissions in Denver, Colorado and Portland Oregon. I have also completed the John Michael Kohler Arts/Industry Residency at the Kohler factory pottery two times.