As a child, I dreamt of flying. The dream was recurrent I was high in the clouds above the bustling city, open arms soaring through a cloudless sky. For as long as I can recall, I have collected birds and bird trinkets. Birds, nests, cages, and eggs made from ceramic, wood, feathers, resin, and more adorn my home and paradoxically keep me grounded. Birds link me to the environment and, like a compass when I feel lost, they remind me to return to nature. Today, it is through the birds that I feel capable, strong, and free.
Empty Nest was modeled after a birdcage I acquired years ago to house flowers. My interpretive cage once held a solitary creature – existing as a pet – as no bird should be. It's very life dependent on the voyeur who holds his key. Relegated to the confines of his unsteady swinging perch, the prisoner one day finds the strength to wrench the bars open and gain freedom.
