Sculpture/3-D Oil Painting
My sculptures are fired stoneware that has been primed and painted with artist oil paints. The sculptures emerge organically and the painting process folllows the forms. The resulting marrige of form and color have a very organic feel. Someone said "They don't look made." These are natural forms that could be found in nature. Many of these sculptures would look right at home in a stream or forest, they may look like underwater forms like reefs.
Reef Encounters and Penguins
Washed Ashore
The old hymn says:
We are often tossed and driven by the restless seas of time
Have you ever felt as if you were being tossed about in life? Waves come and go, and each one pushes and pulls us, each wave changes us a bit. As the waters pass by, they form and reform us, smoothing rough edges or sometimes breaking off pieces leaving scars.
Every day is a new wave and each wave leaves a mark, and these marks accumulate. Over time we show the signs of days and weeks and months and years. From the outside we may look like we are battered and bruised. We may look like a confusing jumble. There are signs of life’s ups and downs written all over us.
But on the inside we remain bright and fresh. The part of us that is filled with the spirit is filled with light.
Sometimes we feel like we have been washed ashore by some storm of life. Other times we feel washed up, like there is nothing left. And sometimes we may feel washed out like we have been drained and what is left is a shell.
What is reflected in nature is chaos, not in the sense of disorder, but rather chaos which describes natural functions that do not conform to linear mathematical formulae. The mathematical and scientific field of Chaos helps to describe many phenomena in nature such as aerodynamics, fluid dynamics, and weather which defy simple straight line maths.
The resulting equations can create very natural patterns know as fractals.
Rather than tame nature into a more manageable form, I allow the chaos of nature to dictate the details in my painting. My approach to color, technique, and form allow organic patterns and textures to occur naturally, reflecting the way nature works rather than simply copying what nature looks like.
Embracing chaos is not just a way to paint; it can also be a way of life. Allowing the order of the universe to guide us through life, we may find a hidden richness in the midst of chaos.
Broken Yet Beautiful
This sculpture began as one piece. It was then broken and then the pieces were painted.
In our throw away world, what matters? When something breaks do we simply discard it as if its existence is meaningless?
Our relationship to things is not always different from our relationship to people. When people are broken do we simply discard them like the other trash?
The thing is that all people are broken. Each person displays a unique brokenness, yet we push aside others who are broken - people who annoy us, people with whom we disagree, the other, the different, the hurting. We want our brokenness to be accepted while we highlight the flaws in others. We affix blame when something goes wrong. We condemn the person, the being, rather than the actions.
Being broken does not, however, remove our potential. Broken things can be beautiful. Often they are more beautiful because of the story of overcoming obstacles. The broken can become beautiful, the broken can be beloved, and that should be a comfort to all who are broken.
When people are broken do we simply discard them like trash? All people are broken. Each displays a unique brokenness. We want our brokenness to be accepted while we highlight the flaws in others. Being broken does not remove our potential. Broken things can be beautiful. Often they are more beautiful because of the story of overcoming obstacles.
