I am a representational figurative artist. In everyday language that means I like to like to sculpt things that look like what I see. I am particularly fascinated with trying to capture the sense of life or gracefulness that I see in the living things around me.
I am drawn to animals and people. I think they are beautifully formed. I love the way that muscles move and flow into each other with a kind of musical rhythm. I try to capture the essence of that rhythm when I sculpt.
It is hard for me settle on just one thing. I love to sculpt animals, especially horses and big cats. I love the way they move and their innate gracefulness. Trying to capture the balance between their muscular, physical energy and the graceful way they move is proving to be a lifelong pursuit.
I also like sculpting small animals like lizards and frogs. The way that these little creatures tilt their head to try and figure me out, when I am looking at them, is something I really relate to. They are so small and delicate and yet they are so perfectly formed to live in their surroundings.
Yet I find myself being pulled towards sculpting the human form as well. Perhaps it is the challenge. I don't think there is anything harder to sculpt than people. I also like the stories I can tell when I include people in my work. The human experience, when captured in art is something we can really relate to and often effects us greatly.
I sculpt primarily in relief. I like being able to tell a story or create a setting for the figures in my work,which is hard to do while sculpting figures in-the-round. But, I also like the way sculpture inhabits the space that we inhabit. So I sculpt in very high relief. That way the viewer shares the space with my piece and experiences it, rather than just viewing it.
