"Boy of War" was one of my first foray into using nylons as a medium. I consider it the first installment in the "Relying on Nylon" series.

In this piece, I began to discuss my childhood affliction of asthma by using bottles and actual pills of medication that I took daily to control the illness.

The title references an Italian movie entitled "Everybody's Fine" featuring a dream sequence in which a man watches all his children being carried off into the sky by a giant Portuguese Man of War.

In the same vein, my childhood memories can't help but be enveloped in the varnish of remembrances of pills, hospitalizations and a sense of being separated from the rest of the world through the asthma.

Jean-Luc was my prematurely born nephew who passed away shortly after birth. I was a pre-teen at the time but I still remember the heavy thumb that rested over all of us as we waited for news about his progress. Each time the phone rang, it was like a mournful scream filled the house with the possibility of bad news.

"Gonad" was another piece in the he "Relying on Nylon" series. It was one of my earliest pieces to explore gender roles, sexuality and the boundaries that define "what is what." Who decides which characteristics define masculinity vs femininity?

This piece once again incorporates childhood medicines into the equation of who-i-was + what-i-lived-through = who i am today.

"Among Women" is the precursor to the installation "Blessed Art Thou." It came at a time in which I began to delve into the exploration and appreciation of the feminine influences in my life.

As I child, I remember being fascinated by my mother working on the sewing machine, using patterns and creating something out of nothing resembling the human form no less!

To this day, I cannot seem to acquire the skill necessary to make use of that amazing device. I generally have to sew by hand.