What's up with the titles?

The premise of the exhibition “Future Artifacts of Sprawl & Sting” is that the year is 2052. 7 years since it happened. You find these objects inside an abandoned farmhouse outside of Georgetown, Texas. Imagine that you are an archaeologist who discovers these objects and you still remember how to label artifacts properly.

 

’41’ means Texas as it’s the 41st state down the alphabetical list when the Smithsonian developed this system. ‘WM’ means Williamson County (where Georgetown is located). The 3 digit number after that is the order in which artifacts are found in that county. What’s after the artifact marking is an added title. So, 41 WM 852: Split, for example. All the artworks are labeled in this way.

You look like a worn-out dad. How old are your daughters?

Our eldest was born in 2015 and our youngest was born in 2017. I am a stay-at-home dad and work during precious sweet nap times.

What is ball moss?

It’s a flowering plant (not actual moss) and an epiphyte. That means that it’s a foreign object that grows harmlessly on a host. In the case of Central Texas, you see them most frequently in trees but they can also be found on power lines. I like the idea of something foreign adding beauty to what’s normal.

Where do you get all those wasps?

I started out by removing wasp nests and wasps from the homes of elderly neighbors. I would keep them and soon people started giving them to me. Getting the community involved is great because it gets them interested in art.

What are you thinking about when you create this work?

  • Loneliness and community
  • Salvation and purification
  • Sexuality and potency
  • Home and foreignness
  • The end of the world
black and white portrait

My flame thrower

Flame Thrower