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| ARTIST'S STATEMENT |
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The materials of choice for this series are steel and tinted plaster. They are classic, elemental, and I use them to make contemporary visual poetry based on the science that is mystery’s shadow. The visual elements on the plaster panels are formed, deconstructed, and then re-applied to create the illusion of age. The images are buried just below the surface of the plaster in a technique that closely resembles cloisonné, then brought to the surface through exhaustive sanding. In other works, the sheer exuberance of saturated color and a highly articulated surface texture are the singular intended content of the work.
A challenging counterpoint to the use of the tinted plaster is the textured galvanized steel. Using a technique first applied by sculptor David Smith, the surface of the steel is cut at various angles with an abrasive grinder, creating an almost holographic void of separate but intertwined visual layers, each reflecting light in a different way. These ‘layers’ serve as a restful and inviting space from which to begin the viewing of the plaster panels. The cut steel is intended to create a sense of pause, not unlike the act of taking a breath before the start of a long journey. The process of my work as an artist began when I scrambled up cliff faces to pre-historic caves along the Rio Grande. Since that time I have followed the trail of our expressivity as a species into sacred kivas, to isolated rock art sites and into physics laboratories. We are leaving an evolving trail that began in the dark recesses of primitive caves and has now extended itself to the stars. I would like to capture the timelessness and mystery of that journey in my work. Although there is an element of risk and adventure along that trail, it is the better part of life. |
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