ARTIST STATEMENT

My art is about life. My sculptures are a combination of the past and present.

I have a deep affinity toward the materials I work with, a sense of emotion for what the material was originally used for and now what it will become in my hands. These thoughts direct me on my path as I work. My sculptures emerge with patterns. I take one piece of steel, add to it, delete from it, add to it. I am constantly discovering. When a sculpture contains all of my creative energies, I am done.

My technique is brute force, decide-at-the-moment. The interesting shapes and textures of metal; the patterns and grains; all entice me. I am fascinated with form. My aspiration is to make sculpture that is completely unique, to resist conformity and mass production.

My art is as individual as I am.

TECHNIQUE and PROCESS

I use metal that I find throughout the western US from metal scrap yards. I also find interesting pieces of metal along the highways and byways. Each piece of metal I collect may spend years in my studio, on a shelf or in a pile, until I “rediscover” it while searching for just the right piece for the next sculpture.

I am a “direct metal” welder. I use a wire-feed welder and plasma cutter to cut and weld the pieces of metal together into the forms I desire. I work continuously on each piece until I decide it is finished. It may take me only hours or many days to finish a sculpture. Once a piece is finished, I often immediately name it, usually the first name that comes to my mind when I look at the finished piece.

I usually leave my sculpture to patina on its own in the weather – bringing out its natural beauty.