A physical engagement with materials propels my art process. I am particularly drawn to manufactured and natural debris and weathered man-made structures. A haphazard fold in rain-soaked cardboard or a fanned-out series of perfectly molded creases on a compressed metal container spark visions for unlimited creative expression. I transfer selected found materials to my studio, where I may sketch or embed them in a collage, then print, paint, stitch, wrap, tear, burn, layer, or pleat the surfaces. Large-scale discards, like a felled tree, neglected row boat, cement piling, or steel girder, will be left in situ and molded in paper pulp. A shadow cast via a street lamp onto a weathered surface may catch my eye during night wanderings. In these moments, I tack large sheets of rag drawing paper onto urban sidewalks or sides of buildings for tracing. I am captivated by both the stories and the unlimited possibilities held within neglected objects and structures. I enjoy uncovering the potential in materials that “once were”.