The proliferation and production of “stuff” in our world is overwhelming. Equipped with an internal version of a metal detector, I mine the environment, selecting the unwanted, discarded, and outdated bi-products of the industrialized world. This process yields a wealth of art making resources. Whether it be bottle caps, computer parts, pieces of rusted metal, or bits of old magazines. These discarded and mass-produced materials are both familiar and mundane. Individually, and certainly in larger quantities, these items are suffused with potential. I am intrigued by the possibilities of repurposing these materials into a work of art. My process is similar to writing a poem. The poem is not fully realized but is initiated with one found word. That found word attracts others, words are added and scratched away. The process continues with persistent editing and refinement. There is, or at least a suggestion of, meaning in a completed piece. A title can be a clue or an entry point but in the end each “poem” has to stand on its own.