I particularly enjoy the juxtaposition of the highly technical, precise skill of TIG welding with the base material of primitive, convoluted, emotionally charged lava rock.

     When working on a serious series, such as Integuments, Elements of Change or Impediments, my starting point is often a word I've discovered while cruising through the dictionary.  I've found that I tend to explore the relationship between interior and exterior--the implicate and explicate order (the soul hidden beneath the skin.)  The sculpture becomes a form of communication involving the head and hopefully, the heart of the viewer.

     I've also discovered the importance of balance in my life.  If I dwell too long in the serious side of life, I become morose.  And so the lighter side refreshes and restores me and becomes manifest as such creations as the Prehistoric Lava Beasts, Saber-toothed Tiger, or Which Came First.

     My morning ritual of Tai Chi, (I've been a teacher now for many years,) not only balances and integrates me, but is a reflection of the way I create sculpture.  The Chinese concept of Chi is that of an energy that underlies and interconnects everything.  When I make art, I strive to do so in an environment of communication, or dialogue with the materials and the concepts.  A piece will evolve or change (as do I) during the process.  It is very different from working from a maquette, simply enlarging a predetermined form.  Spontaneity, flexibility and change are factors that develop in this dialogue and lead to an exciting evolution of the idea, and often, the sculpture and myself.