My ongoing fascination with shadow boxes and museum dioramas led me to develop my own “curiosity boxes”. These assemblages emerged from a desire to simply play and explore different media. As a commercial illustrator and art professor by day, my regular artmaking process adheres to strict guidelines and formalities. Making boxes is an alternative outlet for creativity, where my subconscious can work freely without any rules. 

 

Each assemblage starts as an abstract seed of an idea, sparked by a found object or concept. It then emerges in its own unique way, following a process of internal dialogue between artist and subject matter. Unlike commercial illustration where everything is planned out, assemblages are the result of experimenting and patiently listening. The work tells me what should come next. Some boxes come together quickly. Others sit on the shelf for weeks, waiting for a solution to be discovered that will “complete” them. Symbolism permeates each piece whether intentionally added or not, as a means of exploring thoughts visually. 

 

As a result of making these boxes, I have turned into a naturalist and collector of oddities. Friends and family know to text me when they find a dead bug or interesting relic. It’s pure joy to hunt for and gather items, all the while imagining what kind of curiosity box they could become. Through combining found objects, illustration, woodworking, and sculpture, I hope to provoke wonder for life, nature and the spiritual realm. 

 

May we never lose our wonder.