I’ve never really questioned why I make things, be it art or jewelry. I just love doing it. It’s not so much a conscious choice, but a necessary outlet for my creative energy and it’s a challenge that gets new ideas churning.
From an early age, I’ve been inspired by beautiful and innovative things. I’ve also always been adept at working with my hands. For me, beauty, whether in nature or from the hand of man, is crucial to our existence. We thrive on harmony. It’s what captivates us as we look at great works of art.
So there’s my challenge; to distill and convey what inspires me in a clear and harmonious way. That’s where the 99% perspiration begins as the process of making a work of art usually consists of repeated trial, error and refinement until all the elements flow and speak clearly, no longer attracting my attention.
As I work, whether modeling in clay or resin, acrylics or other mixed media, I’m repeatedly guided by feelings I get as I see and touch the work at hand. My innate intention as an artist is to convey the essence of my subject while being true to my chosen material. I’m constantly working to clarify the forms and refine the designs in order to convey the feelings I’m moved by.
Some of my work is inspired by the people, animals and things I find around me; fleeting moments, glimpsed in passing. Inspiration also comes from found objects and compositions. I get new ideas from the forms and character of naturally weathered pieces of metal and stone, the gestures of pinched and twisted pieces of metal or clay, textures, patterns, and chance arrangements of objects on the ground or beach. All can lead to new compositions. New techniques, tools or methods of work are all developed in response to the needs of the current project or the unique setting for a new commission.
Art for me is a natural extension of living. When I make something, all my creative resources come to bear. I love the challenge of solving a problem or making something that others will enjoy and live with. It puts me in touch with my deeper feelings and is a means for interpreting, distilling, and conveying, both visually and tactilely, that which cannot be seen or may otherwise be taken for granted.
As an artist, I can’t help but get excited when presented with a new commission setting. Combinations of materials, techniques and subject matter all begin to take form in my mind. This begins with a general feeling of what would go well in the space and continues to develop through interaction with my client, contemplation, design work, and the odd flash of inspiration.
One of my favorite things about making custom artwork for people is that the ideas and dreams you have for your home or business come together synergistically with my experience and sensibility as an artist. This results in something totally new; something neither of us could have imagined on our own.
