Gum Artist

Well, there are various studies. (Laughs.) That one was actually posted by Wrigley, who happens to be the largest producer of gum in the world.

So should dentists recommend gum?

Four out of five dentists recommend sugarless gum, but I think they should recommend all gum. I went six years between visits to the dentist and my dentist told me my teeth look better than the teeth of patients she sees every six months. I said I can't explain it except for all of the gum I chew.

How long does it take you to finish a work?

If I was doing it full-time, I could do a large piece in a month, but I can't do it full-time. So now, I try to average one large one a year. Last year I did three small pieces, and I did the Chew by Numbers project.

Could you work with any other materials?

I don't think there'd be a substitute for me. I'm truly a gum artist and if gum ceased to exist, my artistic skills would fade and become nothing. I feel passionate about it. I can't think about it without remembering childhood experiences and happy times.

Any of your friends or family just think you're nuts?

(Laughs.) I don't know if this is the reason why they might, but it probably contributes to it. I will say that I think my parents thought it was a very strange idea and a waste of time initially. . . . But now my mom is a big supporter and I think my dad likes it even if he doesn't want to say he does.

It must drive you crazy when you see chewed gum just wasted on the sidewalk?

I don't know. In a way, I like it because to me, gum just wants to continue to live somewhere, to be present somewhere. It doesn't want to go in a can. It doesn't want to be in a dumpster. It wants to show itself out there. It's so beautiful that it needs to be seen, so if it's on the street or on a tree or stuck under a desk, then it's still living out there.

You know, you are going to get locked up by the city cleaners.

(Laughs.)