This is a piece from a series that uses imagery of marshmallow candy peeps engaged in military troop formations. Having grown up near the Peeps factory, I enjoyed Peeps in a variety of outfits, just about every holiday. When I left to move to college, I was embarking on a 30-year journey around the country following a pursuit of academic art training, then artist residencies and professorships wherever they took me. As I explained this migratory experience to friends, I found the quickest line to understanding this lifestyle was to relate such a career to that of military service, where you might pick the place you'll now engage in your activity. Having rarely spent more than several years in any one place, I have often joked that I am a mercenary of arts education. The peeps themselves are my friends, colleagues, frames of reference, a childhood treat for my children, shared and enjoyed on occasions of joy and pain.