Pairs with:

Statement from the Artist:

OLD WORK - TORSI

My fundamental approach to working in stone sculpture started with studying the initial stone and visualizing the figure that was contained within. In this case, a stone block cut to the finished dimensions of the piece. The idea was derived by developing the forms, removing the stone surround to first create the negative space that would ultimately compose the torsi. The finish surfaces of the torso forms provided a third skin or surface to the piece, the first being the initial cut surface, the second the rough-cut surfaces and finally the finished abraded torsi surfaces. My concern in sculpting stone was to tell a story that links the piece to the past, in this case the female figures of the porch at the Parthenon that are bound in stone above and below.

NEW WORK - SOLITUDE

Has my approach to sculpting in stone changed? On some levels perhaps. The skin of this piece is left rough, with evidence of pounding the final surface into the finished form. It was not the original intention. The characteristics of this stone. Bottichino, quarried near Breschia, Italy, participated in the decision to determine the finished skin and ultimately the feel of the work. Again, the initial idea was derived from a dialog with the block to discover the form that resided within and in this case the stone and the difficulty of releasing the form led to the final work. Communicating with the material is an act that has come to dominate my process in sculpting stone. The skin of the piece was as important as the interplay of forms that compose the work. The final narrative of the piece evolved in the dialogue with the stone and the stone decided. I learned to let go of the idea and follow the material that has been in existence for eons. Who am I to argue?