My figurative sculptures attempt to express particular emotions--awe, grace, alienation, hope and longing--those emotions that can be seen in people only during those silences when they think no one is looking. I try to show those moments and the small daily manifestations of the spirit that the viewer recognizes from their own experience of life. Some of these moments are lonely or painful and some are transformative. Capturing the experience of being human and the sense that however closely we may be thrown together by circumstance, we are essentially unknown to one another. We are each on a private journey in search of something many of us can't name; the spiritual longing for place, belonging and meaning in our lives. I find beauty in a puzzled look - a knot of the mind - expressed sometimes in a simple tilt of the head or glance of an eye.
I experiment with simplification of the figure. How simple can the form be and still be expressive? Too much detail or realism can sometimes diminish the emotional impact of the figure. At other times, a fully defined face can be so confronting as to make the viewer uncomfortable.
The joy of working in clay and the limitless variety of forms and techniques is intriguing. I am currently exploring low-fire salt fuming. I work on the surface of the figures by buffing the clay to varying degrees and using different terrasigilatas or glaze washes to cover parts of the surface. The experimental firing process truly transforms the pieces. They appear aged and weathered, as if from life experiences. The firing technique is risky because it is collaboration between the fire and me that I cannot fully control. It is this balance between control and creative accident that happens in the studio every day that fascinates me and brings me back to the work again and again.
Periodically, I create bronze sculptures. Usually the bronze work is created as a ceramic piece first and then molded from the original and cast in bronze.
I experiment with simplification of the figure. How simple can the form be and still be expressive? Too much detail or realism can sometimes diminish the emotional impact of the figure. At other times, a fully defined face can be so confronting as to make the viewer uncomfortable.
The joy of working in clay and the limitless variety of forms and techniques is intriguing. I am currently exploring low-fire salt fuming. I work on the surface of the figures by buffing the clay to varying degrees and using different terrasigilatas or glaze washes to cover parts of the surface. The experimental firing process truly transforms the pieces. They appear aged and weathered, as if from life experiences. The firing technique is risky because it is collaboration between the fire and me that I cannot fully control. It is this balance between control and creative accident that happens in the studio every day that fascinates me and brings me back to the work again and again.
Periodically, I create bronze sculptures. Usually the bronze work is created as a ceramic piece first and then molded from the original and cast in bronze.