I ’ve been using plastic toy figures as subject matter in my work for over a decade. I find these objects contain a hidden beauty — often a grotesque beauty — that can be seen only when they are depicted on a large scale. These figures contain an incredible amount of detail, a visual feast waiting to be revealed and appreciated. They also have strong narrative and symbolic possibilities, and are both familiar and alien at the same time. They read as human figures, lions, astronauts, and lambs, but they really are not these things. They are dream-like objects with the veracity of hard reality. Commonplace, mass produced, ravaged by time and use, they are still beautiful. Beyond the individual meaning and narrative of each piece, this is what my work is about - finding beauty in the commonplace, seeing the unique in the mass-produced, and making something lasting from the disposable.