Artist Statement
Several years ago, I put my figurative painting on hold and began an exploration of abstract sculpture. This happened suddenly, without warning and without any internal conflict, like finding a new path through a familiar landscape. Why this happened is a bit of a mystery to me, but certain influences come to mind. One is my growing admiration for the work of artist Andy Goldsworthy. His spontaneous compositions using natural materials inspire me to see the world with fresh eyes, and to invite a sense of playfulness back into my artwork. To truly play, one must relax into a mindset divorced from goals or higher meanings. It is a mental state natural to children and undervalued by adults. It proves to be, time and again, the key to unlocking my best ideas.
Alexander Calder is another shining example of an artist playfully manipulating three dimensions. Everything he did, from his delightful miniature circus to his mobiles and monumental steel sculptures seem to express sheer delight and humor. I often turn to his vast body of work for inspiration.
A complete list of the painters and sculptors who shaped my development would fill many pages, but a trip I took to Southeast Asia just prior to my switch to sculpture seems significant. Along with the many cultural and archeological wonders I encountered, I was particularly struck by the simple beauty of the water wheels still in use in Vietnam to irrigate rice paddies. These are approximately ten foot diameter constructions of bamboo and rope which silently lift water from a flowing steam and pour it into bamboo chutes leading out to the crops. This example of ancient agricultural technology struck me as both an elegant blend of form and function and a lovely piece of kinetic sculpture. It was upon my return from that trip that I began bending and tying bamboo.
I also believe my experience as a theater set designer is relevant to my current work. Besides providing a framework for the action of a play, a good design expresses, in three dimensions, the emotional content of a script. The script, or narrative of my current pieces is more closely related to modern dance or jazz music performance. I strive for a blend of harmony and dissonance, coherence and randomness in my sculpture. The narrative or greater meaning of these pieces, as with most purely abstract art, depends on everything the individual viewer brings to it.