ARTIST STATEMENT
Throughout my lifelong love of wood I have evolved from a carpenter to woodworker, to a woodturner and finally to a sculptor.
I was introduced to wood turning in 1991, and found the concept of creating objects with fair curves and flowing lines a plesant diversion from my everday engineering practice.
My goal as an artist working on a lathe is to combine the circular form, fair curves and drama with the character and natural beauty of the individual piece of wood to create a unique sculpture. I am always looking for unique pieces of wood that will allow me to develop an interesting design for a sculpture.
Wood is a very tactile medium. I have enjoyed watching someone caress a piece of my sculpture, this expression of connection between my art and the admiring public is a source of great personal joy for me.
After seeing the work of stone sculptor Jesus Moroles, I was inspired to investigate the wheel form. I titled my first wheel sculpture, "Evolution of the Wheel". Little did I know at the time that this would be the start of a series of over one hundred objects in which I have explored the wheel form.
At the urging of a friend I took a foundry course and in 2012 I began casting my sculptural objects in bronze. This resulted in a refocusing of my creative energy, I did not realize how limiting working on a lathe had become. I started looking at materials other than wood to create original sculpture as well as thinking outside the dimensional limitations of the lathe. I am now working with wood, foam, resin, metal and clay. I am casting my sculptural objects in bronze and stainless steel and pursuing monument scale projects.
As a sculptor, when I am working with wood the form I create is a picture frame to display the natural beauty in that piece of wood. Working in multiple mediums provides me with a great deal of flexibility in developing sculptural objects. Each day as I enter the studio brings a sence of excitement as I have the opportunity to pursue different and challenging paths in my creative adventure as a sculptor.