My work with human subjects explores themes of personal isolation. I focus on composition, lighting, and body position to suggest the internal state of mind. Staging a piece typically involves directing my sitters until their gesture and expression coalesce to evoke that interior space. For this series, “Almost Human,” I applied the same sensibility to highlight the unique personality within each of these worn and loved creatures.
“Almost Human” evolved from an ongoing project to downsize the family home where I grew up. This effort necessitated weeks of digging through attic storage and many things I had left behind. As a child, I was obsessed with stuffed animals. I had hundreds, including many inherited from elders, and much of my allowance went toward building that menagerie. So, when I began the attic exploration, I knew that a sizeable chunk of the project would be sorting through countless old toys.
The animals made in the ‘50s and ‘60s tended to hold up well, but some of my arduously collected ‘70s critters had deteriorated beyond repair. As I sorted through them, I found it difficult (and karmically fraught) to just callously throw the damaged ones out, regardless of how bad their condition. Stacking the “bodies” for disposal felt like building a funeral mound. Everyone one of them had an adoption story that was ending in tragedy, as though I had abandoned a hundred fragile souls. In the end, those were given a solemn dumpster-ceremony sendoff, the best I could do under the circumstances.
In addition to keeping some of the most cherished animals and toys from that purging, I’ve also managed to carry far too many along with me into adulthood. The creatures shown here are a mixture of ones I’ve been toting around for decades and those recently saved from oblivion. That revisitation and emotional journey made me see them as more than objects; they are odd, broken beings with their own thoughts and secrets—and sometimes a little attitude.
Show Details:
- Almost Human
- The Bench Gallery, at Fayes Coffee: 3614 18th St., San Francisco, CA
- Dates: August 25 – October 17, 2026
- Reception: Saturday, September 26, 3–5 pm