I am a sculptor of the human figure. Clay studies and drawings from life are the basis to my work as well as observation and an understanding of humanity. I began studying studio arts and art history in 198 at Lake Tahoe Community College and soon found my passion in sculpture. After earning an Associate Degree in Art I went on to work at the college art department first as Instructional Aid and later as an Adjunct Instructor until my retirement in 2007.
Though deeply inspired by the broken fragments of antiquity as well as the great masters of the past, it is not the classic ideal I seek to represent in my work, rather the introspective, emotional and expressiveness of humanity. I see each of us as a unique and complex entity and my challenge is to unfold the mystery of the individual with my work.
While working with an individual I attempt to bring out qualities that make this person special. Characteristics such as crooked fingers on weathered hands or the graceful contour of a fleshy hip are things I might emphasize or exaggerate because they are clues that help tell the story. Often the personality of the sculpture comes from the energy the model brings to the work. Then, later, long after he or she has left the studio I am free to begin a dialogue with the clay; this is when I sculpt my response to the work and how it makes me feel. As I work a transition occurs and I begin to realize that I am no longer in charge. This is a wonderful and exciting time. It then becomes my challenge to follow what the sculpture wants to say and allow the medium to direct my hands. I feel that the work is finished when the sculpture conveys a soul of its own.
Though deeply inspired by the broken fragments of antiquity as well as the great masters of the past, it is not the classic ideal I seek to represent in my work, rather the introspective, emotional and expressiveness of humanity. I see each of us as a unique and complex entity and my challenge is to unfold the mystery of the individual with my work.
While working with an individual I attempt to bring out qualities that make this person special. Characteristics such as crooked fingers on weathered hands or the graceful contour of a fleshy hip are things I might emphasize or exaggerate because they are clues that help tell the story. Often the personality of the sculpture comes from the energy the model brings to the work. Then, later, long after he or she has left the studio I am free to begin a dialogue with the clay; this is when I sculpt my response to the work and how it makes me feel. As I work a transition occurs and I begin to realize that I am no longer in charge. This is a wonderful and exciting time. It then becomes my challenge to follow what the sculpture wants to say and allow the medium to direct my hands. I feel that the work is finished when the sculpture conveys a soul of its own.