Relief Works

The Ruin

A meditation on decay, the irregular brick-like forms are imagined as fragments from a destroyed structure, with three layers that suggest different moments in time. At the first level, whimsical images hint at the decoration of a peaceful room. Over this, the plaster suggests a rough chiseling to uncovers that adornment. Finally, insects and small animals crawl cross this uneven surface, apparently oblivious to the human history that preceded them. These works explore the transitory nature of life and the fragility of the material world. Series of 14 works.

Center of the Universe

The sphere and the square refer to balance, eternity, and the perfection of the universe. The rusted metal and the battered shell testify to the certainty of ruin. Hand drawn directly on the shell’s interior, where the striations seem to mimic the rhythms of the universe, the sphere appears as if in a vast space, but the shell itself can be held in the palm of the hand. A series of 150 works.

The Separation

This series imagines the artwork as a fragment, as if hurriedly dislodged from a wall. On the smooth top surface, a prosaic image of a diver is rendered in cobalt blue while the sides are rough and glazed with a lava-meld.

This work was inspired by an ancient Greco/Roman fresco, The Diver. There is simplicity and mystery to that image: a male nude dives into water below. Here, the water plays a greater role in this transition, reacting as if a lover, welcoming the thrust.

Night and Water

Luminous moons hang in the night sky above dark waters. A box of dark blue commercial tiles, found in a dumpster, inspired this series of transcendent images. Evoked rather than prescribed, these images are created by applying a white glaze to the smooth surface of the tile. During the firing process, the glazes fuse in unpredictable ways forming subtle low reliefs. The tile itself warps. The plaster mount reinforces this new form and emphasizes volume. A series of 20 works.