The most obvious symptom of my obsessive/compulsive diagnosis is what I think of as extreme pattern recognition. The sequence goes like this: I’ll pick up something I find interesting. Later on, I’ll run across something connected in content, texture, mechanics, whatever... That’s where the problem starts. I feel an overwhelming compulsion to put those things together. There’s something in my brain that really needs to see all the related things together, preferably in some setting that gives uninitiated observers an understanding of the connections that I see. This continuing cycle of procurement and presentation has made for an overwhelming number of “collections.” In effect, I’m engulfed by these collections, all of which I feel compelled to maintain and update whenever possible.

My collecting can be broken into two major groups. First would be more traditional collections of related items with some historic and/or monetary value. My collections in this category center around mid-century American housewares, such as dishes, lamps and clocks – hardly unusual, as collections go.

The other group of attractants is far more varied, irrational and extensive. The individual pieces tend to be of little or no financial value. The groupings, however, are of greater fascination to me than the houseware collections. They’re grouped by subject, color, texture, shape, or any other connection I can dream up.

I hope you’ll take the time to look through some of these photos. I’ll be making additions on a regular basis. What you see here is only a fraction of the absurdity that crowds my life. It’s a never-ending story.