InMyImage is a meditative play on the self and creation. The vessel also explores paradox with ideas of pure form and formlessness. The vessel has no hole, and in having no entryway it denies its functionality. By denying the functionality it takes on the role of pure form. In contrast this form is entirely mirrored, which becomes an object of pure reflection denying its form. The truncated head creates a visual point of inquiry that the viewer is drawn to. Upon investigating the sliced side, the form of the vase is repeated in the head. The presentation of the form inside the head gives further thought to the visual tension that is present between the vessel and the figure. This visual dialogue, which was begun externally, is now internalized. The text on the vessel a repeat of ”INMYIMAGEINMYIMAGE” is subtlety etched. This controls the tempo as well as forcing the viewer to become an active participant. The statement “IN MY IMAGE” does reference the act of creation, and there is an irony here that begs to be teased out. Of course there is the literal reflection upon the vessel, but what is being consider by the figure. Is it his own reflection? It would appear by the contents of the head it is not he, but rather the vessel that is being considered. So ultimately in whose or what image is created by what or whom? Also as the viewer approaches the vessel close enough to read the text, they simultaneously encounter their own image as they read that same text another play of “INMYIMAGE”.
M. and M. puts into play a number of questions. There is the 3-D form of the classic icon the Virgin Mary vs. the 2-D contemporary images of Martha Stewart. There are ideas of beauty, religious vs. secular. There is the gaze of the Virgin she is both contemplating Martha and herself. The sphere on top of the vessel acts as a looking ball, which brings the viewer in a direct dialogue with the other elements. The title in this work is an extremely powerful tool. It is used to give direction, but it also acts as an equalizing agent. Mary and Martha are reduced to M. and M. both the same without distinction.
Arbutus is a work that gives new context to the decorative and in so doing explores the very notion of the decorative. The decorative now becomes content. The arbutus floral pattern is in a repeated wallpaper format. This pattern is placed within a classic painting frame. The beaded pattern on the frame has been transferred into the picture plane as a decorative element on the neck and foot of the pitcher. The two vessels, as well as the shelf have the same pattern etched into their front halves as is in the background frame. The fact that the pattern does not completely cover the vessels in a traditionally decorative manner lends to an idea of transference, subtlety almost like the effect of sun bleaching through a patterned curtain. The hand a symbol of the creative is unaffected by this phenomenon because it is an object of action. Examining relationships causal and otherwise is at the center of this work.
private collection
I sogni (dreams) is a work that captures the viewer within layers, both physical and conceptual. How do we comprehend objects or images? We in part understand them through context. We understand each in relation to the other. Yet in i sogni the physical relationship of the images and objects continually shift based on the viewers shifting perspective. This is achieved by the layered nature of the images within a reflected space. And in changing perspective we can change perception. This physical construct is connected conceptually to the nature of dreams. What is the true meaning of a dream? Its meaning can in part change based on our desire to understand and reexamine it’s content. I sogni is about the desire to fly, but more generally it is concerned with ideas and ideals about aspiration.
The wall panel is constructed using the golden rectangle. The arcing line etched in the panel is residue left from the process in designing the proportions of the panel. But it now also functions as visual markers for the flight of the birds. There are mathematical formulas and diagrams that relate to the science of flight etched into the glass. There is Bernoulli’s equation, which defines the airlift needed for flight. There is also an equation known as turbulent boundary layers. This is an equation that defines an abstract or theoretical place, a place between the actual wing and the airflow, which causes the action of lift. There is a certain amount of poetry within this equation that reflects the nature of dreams and the soul of this work. It is about intangibles, but intangibles with significance.
The rabbit and the hands are part of the 3-dimensional world, and acting as our surrogates they pull us into the dream. I use the image or form of the hand frequently in my work. The hand on one level always signifies creation for me. It is the main tool of the artist, of course that is after the mind. Within this work depending on your perspective the hands are also releasing or capturing some of the birds in flight. The rabbit has the image of feathers etched onto the backs of the ears. Can the rabbit fly? Or is the imagery only a part of its wishful desire. These objects are on shifting ground, as the image of the viewer is also brought within the reflected surface of the work continually shifting in relation to the forms, images and content of the work.
In the permanent collection of the Museum of American Glass at Wheaton Arts
How do we perceive and define ourselves? In creation defined, I examine the most profound act of defining oneself- creation. God’s and Adam’s hands from Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel are appropriated as western symbols of man’s creation. Adam’s hand is reinterpreted using Fibonacci sequences; this ratio also generates the vessel’s horizontal banding. God’s hand, in black-glass, points to an image of a chromosome, a contemporary means of defining oneself. Reconsidering and recontextualizing familiar creation symbols transforms them and generates new questions. Thus, the creation of the work itself is a metaphor for the process of transforming and perceiving ourselves.
Americana; finger bowl and decanter is my first foray into political art, by its nature this work is the most contrary to my usual objectives, because ultimately I am making a statement. Although my hope is that the statement is not initially self-evident. I believe in subtlety, and you catch more people with honey than with vinegar. There is a blending of elements from three diverse cultures, the image/ text, the forms and the ritual, presenting my proposal. This work began with two elements the image, which was compelling to me, and the idea of washing ones hands clean.
permanent collection at the Ringling Museum of Art