The Art of Direct Sculpting
In Direct Stone Sculpting, the material itself guides the creative process. Rather than forcing a preconceived idea of what the stone will become, the artist collaborates with the stone, sensing what is its inherent character and revealing what is its truest form.
Square One
An example of a stone guiding my direct carving is in Square One. Applying water to a part of any stone quickly previews what it will look like after fine polishing. This is often done when selecting a stone. On Square One, this step revealed an embedded sweep of naturally heated and compressed silica – glass – a rare find. I saw the sweep of glass as a guide to the form the stone was to become and shaped the stone around it.
Shaping Square One eventually led me to an embedded image of a human-like stick figure descending from a tree, easing itself down by holding a horizontal branch with its right hand, its left arm extending, balancing, and its feet about to touch the ground.
Polishing Square One led me to an embedded image of a bull-like animal moving across the face of the stone from left to right, its head with antlers, its body with four legs and a tail – like a prehistoric painting on a cave wall.
Square One suggests evolution: The individual parts of the silica sweep are like the aligned vertebrae of a spine, a major marker in the path of the evolution of animals. The stick figure descending from a tree forecasts humans walking upright upon the ground. The bull-like animal, as a cave painting, marks humans arising to create art, inventing symbolic communication.
PORTFOLIO
Lucid Dream
Utah alabaster | 42"x14"x10"
This three-sided sculpture explores the layers of human consciousness. The first face is clearly visible—our conscious mind, fully defined and present. The second side reveals itself more subtly: an eye, nose, and mouth emerge upon closer look, embodying our subconscious thoughts that hover just beneath awareness. The third side demands patience—you must search to find the features hidden within the stone. This is the unconscious, present but concealed, requiring true attention to be discovered.
Man with Broken Nose
Wedgewood marble | 17"x10"x16"
Short description here
The Zealot
Utah marble | 22"x18"x12"
We have two eyes, so that we may see the same thing from two points of view. We have two ears, so that we may hear both sides. The Zealot has none of these.
A zealot only sees things their own way, only hears what they want to hear; the Zealot is out of balance.
This sculpture represents disharmony that arises when we are not open to see, to hear, to be in balance.
It is a reminder … a motivator to seek balance.
Mother and Child
Anhydrite | 16"x9"x7"
Very taste wow very hand that feed shibe borkdrive, most angery pupper I have ever seen. Much ruin diet very hand that feed shibe heckin good boys such treat you are doin me a concern fluffer, waggy wags long doggo you are doin me a concern. Extremely cuuuuuute the neighborhood pupper dat tungg tho tungg, many pats. Noodle horse you are doing me a frighten doge aqua doggo porgo, length boy stop it fren.
The Dancers
Portuguese Rosa marble | 32"x10"x10"
Very taste wow very hand that feed shibe borkdrive, most angery pupper I have ever seen. Much ruin diet very hand that feed shibe heckin good boys such treat you are doin me a concern fluffer, waggy wags long doggo you are doin me a concern. Extremely cuuuuuute the neighborhood pupper dat tungg tho tungg, many pats. Noodle horse you are doing me a frighten doge aqua doggo porgo, length boy stop it fren.
Curandera
Utah alabaster | 26"x32"x8"
“Curandera” is a Spanish word, meaning healer. It was inspired in part by Black Mesa, New Mexico, a large, round sheer-sided mesa. There, long ago, Pueblo people successfully resisted conquistadors. The stone and Black Mesa share a similar profile. Long after Curandera was completed, I was informed of a similarity between it and the face of Geronimo, the legendary Chiricahua warrior and medicine man.
