Like many artists, I do not work in only one direction. My current work focuses mainly on combining western geological studies, fine arts, and “Scholars’ Rocks.” These works are primarily cast pieces but I also work in a more formal fashion when working with steel. “Scholars’ Rocks” or “Gongshi” is a Chinese tradition that dates back to the literati artists of the Song Dynasty. The practice involves collecting and quarrying stones that meet specific aesthetic criteria, cleaning them, and displaying them on bases as objects of aesthetic contemplation and appreciation. The stones have ties to religions such as Daoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism because of the meditative/ contemplative aspects of viewing them and the obvious reverence for nature. Another interesting term used when describing these objects is “Quai Shi” which means, “Grotesque Stones” and alludes to the fact that what makes these stones so valuable is that they are geological oddities that are very rare.
I grew up in Michigan, collecting stones along Lake Michigan, and buying them from local “Rock Shops”, making my own collection for similar reasons. I collected stones that were appealing to the eye, seemed odd or unusual, and were different from what I usually came across. Geodes were some of the stones that interested me the most.
In my Sculptures I combine my childhood interests, my recent studies of “Gongshi” and similar Asian traditions, and create works in a traditional, western, fine arts fashion. Most of my work is cast bronze, iron, and aluminum and is meant to be a representation of stones. The “Empty Geode” series is my most recent work and was created with a question in mind. “When a geode doesn’t have crystals, does the stone lose its significance?” I believe that the exterior quality is equally alluring and the fact that they are empty makes them more of an oddity. Other recent works are more of a direct representation of stones or use actual stones in them. The display mechanism of my sculptures references “Scholars’ Rocks” bases, Western Geological displays, and Fine Art objects. My intent is to combine these influences and create objects that walk the fine line between objects of aesthetic contemplation (Scholars’ Rocks) and Fine Art objects (Sculpture).
Other work is formalist, object driven, and nature motivated. I am interested in taking ideas based on the elements and principles of design and creating tangible objects rooted in these theories. Form, line, space, balance, texture and movement are my major areas of concern. The circle, or semi-circle is a common theme I work with. My interest in these shapes and forms comes from the use of circles, cylinders, spheres, and semi-circles in the "man-made" world, and finding the same forms occurring regularly in nature. I find it interesting that we add these forms in our roads, neighborhoods, agriculture, and commodity storage while they also already exist on and below the surface, in nature itself. To find these shapes in nature all we need to do is look at almost anything at a cellular level, look at tree rings, look at some plant growth formations, or watch water's surface tension be broken, but the motif I work with the most is rock.
This page shows work that began in my undergraduate studies at Western Michigan University. After graduation I moved to South Carolina and taught art at Mayo High School for Math, Science, and Technology in Darlington. Currently I am working on my MFA in Sculpture at East Carolina University.