I am in awe of nature, animals and human beings. I include them in my art as symbols of relationships, love, humanity, existence.
Typically, I begin a composition or sculpture when I hear a compelling story or see some person or animal that moves me deeply. I will take that story or animal and create a narrative or symbolic story around the subject and from that, develop a composition.
Although my work often includes animals, what I create arises from the common experiences of life: bonding, connecting, suffering, yearning, protecting, surviving….experiences of awe, angst, gain and loss. While a concept I am working with may be emotionally challenging, confrontational or heart-breaking, I like to make my pieces visually evocative.
Sometimes to achieve this, I include gilding or metallic paints because of my lifelong fascination with illuminated manuscripts which began in my middle-school class, 'Images of Man," a class that exposed us to the art of man throughout the ages,. The teacher, Mrs. Harvey, taught with immense enthusiasm. She inspired me to want to grow up to be a Renaissance Man.
Using various concepts and techniques I've learned from other great teachers, I create images of the ethereal, ephemeral, and mysterious aspects of our existence.