Grave work includes paintings, works on paper and glass sculpture. The abstracted lines in the work are actually rubbings of the shapes of grave stones rather than the text that identifies the deceased

The glass heart-shaped sculpture (made for an outdoor exhibition) is an example of the inclusion of research in the work. The glass surface bears lines that record the exterior shapes of people’s gravestones who were voted “Best Looking” or “Most Popular” in old high school yearbooks at the local historical society. The size and shape of the heart sculpture references the now ubiquitous heart-shaped graves. The popularity of the former high school students connects to our present use of hearts to denote popular appeal on social media, in particular the importance of collecting hearts on Instagram for artists.

The oil paintings on scrim-like canvas hang in a banner-like fashion so that both the front and the back of the work are visible. To make the paintings, sized canvas is draped over the tombstone and the edges of the stone are rubbed with white oil pastel. Back in the studio, a thin layer of black paint is applied and and wiped off, revealing the image- a bit like developing a film photograph. The headstones chosen range from the poignant to the intriguing to the everyday- like life. Human connections to each other either by manner of death, employment, place of residence, place of burial etc are explored. One painting records the outlines of the headstones of local farmers who died in the 18th Century and another outlines the graves of food service workers. The titles, written on the back of each painting, tells its otherwise anonymous story. Some titles are Neighbors on the Same Road, Area Murders Woven Together, Union Soldiers and People with the Same Name.