With sensual and
spiritual beauty as one of my primary goals, the subject
of my sculptures, the materials that I use, and the
process I follow in my work are vitally important to me.
I work with many different materials, but the things which
attract me to each and the resulting sculptures are all
closely related. The inherent qualities of the
material are critical to the final piece.
My
sculpture reflects an intense relationship between myself
and the material with which I am working. This
relationship is based on my reactions and responses to the
material, the marks I make in it, and my own ideas.
I use my hands as my primary sculpting tools so that,
through touch, I can judge the movement of truth, when a
shape or texture is perfect. After each marking is
made, I look at and feel the piece, react to what I have
done, then make another mark. Every decision I make
is based on my response to what I have already done with
the material. I continue to learn about myself and
my material as the relationship progresses. Then,
looking back on a finished piece, I discover even more
about it, where it might have come from, what it might
refer to, and its relationship to my other sculptures.
For me, art is an intensifications of nature. By
this I mean that my art is the process taking from a
natural object, the qualities which seem most beautiful to
me, and expanding those qualities to create a sculpture or
painting.
Like the subject matter of my work, the
materials I use in my sculptures and paintings are
natural. Each element, stone, water, fiber, or clay,
has a beauty of its own before I ever begin to manipulate
it. I try to integrate my impression of the most
beautiful qualities of each material with the effects of
natural weathering contrasted with a manual process of
sculpting that material. I enjoy that contrast and
make use of it to draw attention to my perception of the
inherent beauty that is native to all of the materials
with which I work. My sculptures become a
collaboration between myself and nature.
