A facination with trees and nature has pervaded most of my 30 year career in art. I try to capture the drama and movement of the windswept trees of my coastal surroundings, the way they express the enduring - yet fragile - existence of nature.
My most recent work is expanding on this nature theme with bird and wave motifs. I have chosen the heron for its elegant look and serene personality. I hope to show in my sculptures, the graceful lines of the body and flowing expressive wings of these birds. The wave pieces are inspired by the Japanese master of wood cut prints, Hokusai, especially his Mt. Fuji wave print. The waves show not only the power of nature but also its graceful beauty.
I use wheel-thrown and hand-built forms with attached and carved additions to create my sculptures. I enjoy how the thrown vessels balance the tight realism of the sculptures. I love the contrast of the formal form of the pot and the tree or bird clinging to it. It's a metaphor for the difference between the man-made and the natural.
