I could not tell you where I am from. I am an air force brat born on the Hollowman base in New Mexico. I have lived all around the United States, and feel displaced more from moving around as a visiting adjunct professor, than from moving with the air force.  My father did learn to fly in Hondo, but I have recently settled in San Antonio--falling in love with Texas as resident artist of Big Bend in 1998, and living here since 2014.  Throughout my career I have included a component of community engagement in my practice. This could be attributed to seeking a "belongingness".

The first community project created in Texas was Tank, '00, as resident artist at the Southwest School.  (See Image) I had spent a summer gutting appliances from a Texas landfill, and then held a series of workshops making transparent marine creatures out of collaged gel materials.  Participant's  artwork was then inserted into "openings" in the fronts of appliances that were painted blue.  The intent was to make a giant repurposed aquarium--illuminating the publics' artistic contributions.  Originally, I wanted artworks glued to an interior revolving drum inside the appliance pile--giving an illusion of marine creatures swimming. This part was not executed, due to lack of funding, steam and from injuring my knees. Scrappers came and took the show down and the Southwest School became the University of Texas.  I am now bow-legged--not from riding horses--but because I still need new knees.