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ABOUT THE WORK

DRAWING

“…drawing, for me, is the beginning of everything.”   Ellsworth Kelly

Drawing helps me better understand the patterns, textures, shapes and structures found all around us. It is a way for me to slowly discover internal and external forms or to work quickly to simply record an impression. The results can either be a faithful reproduction of what is being observed or used as a point of departure to explore, modify, combine, interpret what is seen. Whether it is a finished product or used as a reference source for making paintings or sculptures, drawing acts as the underlying support structure upon which my art works are planned and built.

PAINTING

The ongoing black-white-gray series is a return to my early works which were inspired by the paintings of the abstract expressionists, particularly the works of Franz Kline. These abstract works from my art student days in the 1970's used only black paint on a white gessoed canvas.

The more recent works vary the process of my early abstractions and are now made with Light Molding Paste (a white textured painting medium) over a black gessoed canvas. Black and white paint is then dry brushed over the textured layers to create more depth, highlights and shadows. As the work progresses many of the textural effects happen spontaneously and it sometimes seems as though my job is to get out of the way and allow the composition to simply emerge.

While the black-white-gray series continue to evolve, recently color has been introduced into some of the paintings. At this time, the color works are slowly being created. As these new color works are completed they will be added to the website.

The paintings, whether monochromatic or full color, combine abstraction with elements found in nature. It seems to me that art in its essence is the merging of the natural world with the less obvious underlying abstract forms in order to produce something unique. It is this process, which continues to intrigue, inspire and confound me, that keeps me working.

Plein Air:

I still enjoy working outdoors (plein air) to produce studies and paintings directly from nature. Over the years I have found that working in both representational and abstract styles has helped me to better understand and develop my creative process.

Digital Designs for Drawing, Painting, and Sculpture:

Besides traditional art making materials and methods, I now also use a computer to produce drawings and paintings, as well as to design sculptures. Digital images give me the opportunity to make multiple versions of a single design because each step of the process can be saved as the work progresses.

SCULPTING

The sculptures begin with sketches, drawings and photographs. These images are used to guide the process as a sculpture is being created.

Larger sculptures require detailed design and engineering drawings as well as maquettes or scale models. Many of my large works are best suited to a fabrication process which involves cutting sheet metal into various shapes, then bending, rolling, curving these shapes and welding and/or bolting the pieces together. Due to the equipment and skills required, my larger sculptures are usually subcontracted to professional art fabricators. As the work progresses my job is to oversee the process and make design adjustments as required.

Intermediate size works are made using a wide variety of materials. Each work determines the type of materials used and the methods used to create the sculpture. While the finished piece will have elements of the original inspiration for the work, the finished sculpture is not intended to be a precise copy of the design drawings. Intuition and spontaneity are as much a part of the process as are sketches and drawings.

Smaller works are made in a variety of ways. An original is sculpted using clay, plaster, concrete, wood or plastic. Many of these works are then cast in metal in limited editions by a fine art foundry. In addition to having works cast at a foundry, scanning and 3D printing services are also used to make smaller sculptures. The 3D works can be finished pieces on their own, used as patterns for metal casting, or serve as maquettes or scale models in the production of larger sculptures.