Drawings to sculpture...'Skyworks'

A sculpture begins with a vision - somewhat obscure at first...maybe a shape: an arc, a triangle...that begins to 'nudge' the mind. Before long that nudging becomes a prodding and an incessant 'will to form' that requires further elaboration with pencil and paper. Sometimes it means 'jumping right in' and working in three dimensions - depending on the strength of the prodding and the wish to go 'right at it'. Here are a couple of examples of the transformation via drawing...

"Sympathy" was a visual response to reading Foucault's "Prose of the World" and the concept of the Four Similitudes. "Analogy" is quite strong with this piece as well, but I felt 'Sympathy' was the over-riding raison d'etre here...

"Pleiades" (Time Harp) began as simply an image of a large 'arc against the sky' - that continued to impress itself upon my mind, until the drawing was created. I was stuck for awhile, until one afternoon I happened to be driving a newly purchased Subaru station wagon. As I was driving, my eyes kept returning to the Subaru logo on the steering wheel. Having no idea that 'subaru' in Japanese refers to the Pleiades star cluster, I added the general structure of it to the sculpture idea, and subsequently (and serendipitously I should say), the sculpture fully manifested itself..

Skyworks

I'm told, and constantly reminded it seems, that a person's life is experienced as a spiral. Recurring themes and patterns present themselves as one ages, and seemingly the 'next time around' offers fresh perspectives. I can only say, that now, as I create these new pieces, I am humbled by how (seemingly with little need for understanding from my 'apparent' conscious mind) all that I have experienced to this point has been processed internally - and a new vision and understanding begins anew...

"Shock of the Old"

Within this new paradigm we find ourselves in, images and information fly by at an increasingly accelerated pace. One finds oneself adrift at times in 'the flow'. Joseph Campbell described (presciently) how there are times in human history where  civilization comes to the fore over cultural endeavors. It appears we are in that type of period - through the Internet - all of us are talking to each other, from all walks of life - challenging stereotypes and previous societal norms and ills...as I strive to find peace of mind and balance within these challenging times, I'm constantly 'shocked' into an awareness of the state of Being connected to something unchanging and seated in 'active stillness'.
Interestingly enough,  the 'shock' comes from images and objects connected to an earlier time, made by artisans, perhaps in their own contemporary 'maelstrom', but creating objects of 'objective awareness', ever-reminding me that the peace I seek is within.

                                       Guan Yin, Liao Dynasty, China, 907-1125 AD

Arcane Mechanism

"Arcane Mechanism"

copper and steel

2015

Drawings on paper and in space....

Some drawing pieces from a few years back ( when I had more space to work).

"Lucifer" graphite on paper.

"Pendulus Construction" graphite on paper.

"Morphology 1" graphite on paper.

"Drawing in Space: Ariel" wood, charcoal, paint.

"Drawing in Space: Embrace" wood, charcoal,paint.

"Drawing in Space: Master and Student", wood, charcoal, paint.

Ascension (for Lois J.)

"Ascension (for Lois J.)", acrylic on canvases, 48"h X102"w, 2014.

Studio view, coming together...

As I embark on bringing the figure back into my work, I couldn't help but place my earlier, copper sculpture, "Metamorphosis" into the mix...and I see there is a nice "dialogue". Recent events turned my perception of what I've been doing 180 degrees and I see things in a fresh perspective...in fact, that process of "cutting through what's known" is what it's all about for me. But, I can get complacent very easily ( usually motivated by fear and a desire to "have the answers") - I'm glad there are people (teachers, etc) who can wake me up again.

The process of art-making really is supernatural - there are things that happen during the process that I can't explain...and I like that. It brings surprise, vitality and magic into my life and I can only hope that my images offer the viewer that experience as well.