511 DEEP DIVER
2021, 17’3” X 45” X 12”, LED lights, MDF, stainless steel, steel, copper, wood dowels, PVC
This sculpture started, like so many of my recent pieces, from thinking about the mechanisms invented by nature. I use the word mechanism to emphasize how a life form has adapted to feed, self-protect, and reproduce in even the most inhospitable environments on Earth. There has been a under-emphasis on representations, of animals in art - and it has been about how they look, not why they look as they do. Much of this limitation is the result of three things.
511A Deep diver
One, we humans are so narcissist that we think too much of ourselves to pay respect for all other life. Two, most art is really dumb depictions or arrangements of colors and shapes. And three, our not having or utilizing the knowledge that the constant flow of data from science should inspire a more imaginative range of responses.
511B Deep Diver
“Deep Diver” had me thinking about all the birds that dive into the water to catch food. Not so much the types like Cormorants that paddle down from the surface, but the ones that dive at great speeds, such as Gannets, from high in the air, and descend to significant depths.
511C Deep Diver
In order for birds to not crush their necks by hitting the water at up to 60 mph, the neck compresses, and is buttressed by tendons that travel along their body. ( I found this all out on Wikipedia well after having planned the sculpture) At that point, I was already making the front end of the sculpture have a series of growing in size, separated disks that meet the fuselage – to suggest a compressible arrangement. I also was having 5 steel strips that emanate from inside the beak to go 16 feet through 11 ribs to the tail.
511D Deep Diver
When I design my sculptures to infer functional elements, I am imagining what is needed to achieve a functional goal. My initial idea is intuitively formed. As I am driven, I start to find out what the logic inside my subconscious is. If this sounds crazy, think about idiot savants that can tell you what day of the week was on a date you give them and other examples of computing powers. (See the movie “Rain Man”)
511H Deep Diver
And while thinking about such birds, I extended the thought to include the numerous creatures that live where no sunlight can penetrate, but provide Bio-luminescent light.
I had been working on this sculpture for most of a year when an excellent nature program on PBS came out from people in a deep diving submersible. It was uncanny that this wealth of stunning photography showed some fish that have dots of light like the LED
509 SCORPAENIDAE
(aka Firefish, Lionfish), 2019, 20’ X 7’ X 42”, 12 mm RED NEON WITH 24,000 VOLTS, 12 V. LED LIGHTS,
LACQURED MDF, S.STEEL, COPPER, & WIRES.
Full Story
509A SCORPAENIDA
509.A “SCORPAENIDAE” (aka Firefish, Lionfish), 2019, 20’ x 7’ x 42”, 12 mm red neon, white LED lights, lacquered MDF, copper, stainless steel, & wires.
508 AUTONOMOUS
2017, 24’10” X 49” X 21.5”, 80 lbs., LED LIGHTS, SEALED BEAM HEADLAMPS, PERFORATED STAINLESS STEEL, LEXAN, LACQUERED WOOD & MDF
This piece has me thinking that my initial thoughts about where it was coming from now have a very different twist. When I started, my intention was to emulate all those huge whales and whale sharks that have enormous mouths taking in vast quantities of seawater and straining it for tiny plankton. I thought this time, I would do something different. Instead of having a shape tapered at both ends and jutting out in space from a central fuselage, this will be about its interior. The exterior will be simple and solid looking from certain angles. One end will be a wide open split oval that diminishes in size and flattens toward the other end. A separating carapace held in place by radiating spines. This time, the fuselage would be transparent and the lights would not be rigid neon tubes held out in space, but a plethora of tiny dots attached to numerous flexible ribbons running down close to the center. By using LED lights, I would be switching from 12,000 volts to 12 volts. At the front end, the long arms, or feelers, or antennae, would terminate with delicate, almost hand like, forms that seem more searching than dangerous. continued in next image.
This piece has me thinking that my initial thoughts about where it was coming from now have a very different twist.
Full story...
Full story...
508B AUTONOMOUS
2017, 24’10” X 49” X 21.5”, 80 lbs., LED LIGHTS, SEALED BEAM HEADLAMPS, PERFORATED STAINLESS STEEL, LEXAN, LACQUERED WOOD & MDF
Perhaps I was driven to use thousands of brilliant red LED's to describe her blood cells. Additionally, even watching for hours as each session of chemo drugs would be administered drip by drip at the slowest rate because she came close to dying with the faster more economical delivery could relate to the precise 11/16” spacing of the lights. My choice this time, to emphasize the inside of the sculpture. The idea of making something with a different set of spatial principles, with a kind of light that I had never used. All of this feeds into my view that art is best when seeded with both the conscious and the subconscious. I don’t think this is one of my best sculptures, but it is done as Mary is done with cancer for now.
continued in next image..
508C AUTONOMOUS
2017, 24’10” X 49” X 21.5”, 80 lbs., LED LIGHTS, SEALED BEAM HEADLAMPS, PERFORATED STAINLESS STEEL, LEXAN, LACQUERED WOOD & MDF
507 SWALOWTAIL
2014, 20'X 52"X 31.5", RED COLD CATHODE, FLOURESCENT,LED,& INCANDESCENT LIGHTS,LACQUERED MDF & WOOD, STAINLESS STEEL & COPPER
One of the limitations of sculpture is that much of it is static in this fast moving world. Kinetic sculpture attempts to bypass this problem, but machine produced repetitive motions are tedious and wind driven motions seem tame and still predictable. And the chance of a malfunction goes way up for both. My solution is to make the sculpture look like it is capable of doing something. And when that something is unknowable, that creates a mystery that keeps the mind in a more searching and fluid state. So, the movement is in our heads, not before our eyes.
Full story...
507A SWALOWTAIL
2014, 20'X 52"X 31.5", RED COLD CATHODE, FLOURESCENT,LED,& INCANDESCENT LIGHTS,LACQUERED MDF & WOOD, STAINLESS STEEL & COPPER
Another method that I employ to keep that interest extended is to make the sculpture hard to know and even hard to see. As you move around under the sculpture, it keeps changing from solid to sparse, and its overall shape shifts considerably as you move from front to side to back. Even the lights disappear behind black forms and their linear shapes become just a hazy reflection only visible in a low light condition.
Full story...
507B SWALOWTAIL
2014, 20'X 52"X 31.5", In “Swalowtail”, I used another tactic to keep the viewer in kind of limbo. Even though it is symmetrical, the overall shape is so jagged, that it would be hard to make a drawing of it from memory because it doesn’t flow. So, this explains the title (except I left out one “l”). The idea for this sculpture came from watching butterflies and moths’ fly.
Full story...
507C SWALOWTAIL
2014, 20'X 52"X 31.5", RED COLD CATHODE, FLOURESCENT,LED,& INCANDESCENT LIGHTS,LACQUERED MDF & WOOD, STAINLESS STEEL & COPPER
You can also see that the wire antenna in the front of the sculpture, with its bright light, is a metaphor for an insect’s ability to detect pheromones.
Full story...
507D SWALOWTAIL
2014, 20'X 52"X 31.5", RED COLD CATHODE, FLOURESCENT,LED,& INCANDESCENT LIGHTS,LACQUERED MDF & WOOD, STAINLESS STEEL & COPPER
We make all kinds of instruments to gather every kind of information, so that is also a reference in many of my sculptures-as-instruments.
Full story...
506 SAMOTHRACE
2012, 20'6" X 77" X 19", 232 WATTS, LACQUERED WOOD, STAINLESS STEEL, COPPER, NEON, INCANDESCENT & FLUORESCENT LIGHTS
I have always been interested in, and adored animals. I have loved a continuous mix of dogs, cats, birds and hamsters. I watch nature programs and am well aware of how various life forms have evolved to take advantage of every food source and environment. Animals have also had important roles in past cultures. But animals seem to be scarce in contemporary art. And I am very distressed that animals and insects are being driven to extinction worldwide. Perhaps out of sight, is out of mind, or in our human species narcissism - they are just pets or food.
I have always been interested in, and adored animals. I have loved a continuous mix of dogs, cats, birds and hamsters. I watch nature programs and am well aware of how various life forms have evolved to take advantage of every food source and environment.
Full story...
506A SAMOTHRACE
2012, 20'6" X 77" X 19", 232 WATTS, LACQUERED WOOD, STAINLESS STEEL, COPPER, NEON, INCANDESCENT & FLUORESCENT LIGHTS,
In building my parallel culture, I have made a number of animal forms, but most have been smallish. For Samothrace, I invented a hybrid crested bird with a long beak that ends with a raptor's hook, and vaguely fox like ears. Just as birds carry food or nesting material, and bees pollen, this mythic bird-like creature carrying tubes of glowing plasma gas is a dream of a unity of man and nature.
There are two art sources for this sculpture. The first, indicated by the title, is the Winged Victory of Samothrace, and the second, but more important to me, is Umberto Boccionis Unique Forms of Continuity in Space.
Full story...
506B SAMOTHRACE
This is meant to hold your attention and relates as a metaphor to the vast amount of detail in virtually all life forms. If my sculptures seem overly elegant and maybe ostentatious, you need to re-calibrate your mind and eye – look at pictures and films in any category of nature. You will realize that human creations are often awkward, clumsy, and unimaginative in comparison to nature.
This is meant to hold your attention and relates as a metaphor to the vast amount of detail in virtually all life forms.
Full story...
506C SAMOTHRACE
2012, 20'6" X 77" X 19", 232 WATTS, LACQUERED WOOD, STAINLESS STEEL, COPPER, NEON, INCANDESCENT & FLUORESCENT LIGHTS,
Perhaps out of sight, is out of mind, or in our human species narcissism - they are just pets or food. In building my parallel culture, I have made a number of animal forms, but most have been smallish. For “Samothrace”, I invented a hybrid crested bird with a long beak that ends with a raptor’s hook, and vaguely fox like ears. Just as birds carry food or nesting material, and bee’s pollen, this mythic bird-like creature carrying tubes of glowing plasma gas is a dream of a unity of man and nature. There are two art sources for this sculpture. The first, indicated by the title, is the Winged Victory of Samothrace, and the second, but more important to me, is Umberto Boccioni’s “Unique Forms of Continuity in Space”. Both of these sculptures are heroic in concept, and that risk appeals to me because we see so little of that in western contemporary art. This is probably because it turns up in state sanctioned totalitarian art - and since I am proposing a parallel culture - that should be part of the story.
There are two art sources for this sculpture. The first, indicated by the title, is the Winged Victory of Samothrace, and the second, but more important to me, is Umberto Boccioni’s “Unique Forms of Continuity in Space”.
506D SAMOTHRACE
2012, 20'6" X 77" X 19", 232 WATTS, LACQUERED WOOD, STAINLESS STEEL, COPPER, NEON, INCANDESCENT & FLUORESCENT LIGHTS,
I have always been interested in, and adored animals. I have loved a continuous mix of dogs, cats, birds and hamsters. I watch nature programs and am well aware of how various life forms have evolved to take advantage of every food source and environment. Animals have also had important roles in past cultures. But animals seem to be scarce in contemporary art. And I am very distressed that animals and insects are being driven to extinction worldwide.
502 SCAVENGER
2010, 23'4" X 34" x 12", LACQUERED WOOD AND MDF, COLD CATHODE AND FLUORESCENT LIGHTS, ACRYLIC,COPPER. AND STAINLESS STEEL.
Consistent with my de-emphasis on the human for tribute, this is dedicated to that classification we revile - insects. The designs of all life forms are perfected over millenniums to perform various functions.
502A SCAVENGER
2010, 23'4" X 34" x 12", LACQUERED WOOD AND MDF, COLD CATHODE AND FLUORESCENT LIGHTS, ACRYLIC,COPPER. AND STAINLESS STEEL.
The results can become additions to the language of sculpture. Following this program of nature, this artwork compiles multiple tools to achieve and acquire.
502B SCAVENGER
There are eight claws, long feelers or skewers, cilia near the mouth and body armor bristling with sharp points. One would normally think of an insect scavenger as somewhat small, but here it is a mutation as large as a dinosaur.
502C SCAVENGER
My father gave me Kafka's Metamorphosis at an early age, and it remains as a powerful influence. I think this is my Gregor Samsa.
502D SCAVENGER
2010, 23'4" X 34" x 12", LACQUERED WOOD AND MDF, COLD CATHODE AND FLUORESCENT LIGHTS, ACRYLIC,COPPER. AND STAINLESS STEEL.
502 E SCAVENGER
2010, 23'4"x X 34" x 12", LACQUERED WOOD AND MDF, COLD CATHODE AND FLUORESCENT LIGHTS, ACRYLIC,COPPER. AND STAINLESS STEEL.
501 RED VEIN
2008,18'4" X 46" X20", RED COLD CATHODE AND HALOGEN LIGHTS, LACQUERED MDF & WOOD, STAINLESS STEEL & COPPER
501A RED VEIN
2008, 18'4" X 46" X 20", RED COLD CATHODE & HALOGEN LIGHTS, LACQUERED MDF & WOOD, STAINLESS STEEL, COPPER
A skeletal form is the last remaining vestige of a life. But those vein-like glowing tubes of plasma animate and emanate to revitalize the skeleton while from some viewpoints; the solid forms are turned diaphanous by the light.
501B RED VEIN
2008, 18'4" X 46" X 20", RED COLD CATHODE & HALOGEN LIGHTS, LACQUERED MDF & WOOD, STAINLESS STEEL & COPPER
See this as joining both the artifact and the futuristic, friend and foe, function and fantasy, threatening and sensual.
501F RED VEIN
2008, 18' 4" X 46" X 20", RED COLD CATHODE AND HALOGEN LIGHTS, LACQUERED MDF & WOOD, STAINLESS STEEL AND COPPER
The idea was inspired by time spent at our pool observing the Dragonflies that patrol its surface. Once there was an unusual brilliant red one maybe 1 inch long. I searched the Internet and came up with a Red-veined Darter (in Europe) and it's not in my insects of New England book. While curious, it didn't matter; the tipping point had occurred. The enduring appeal of Dragonflies had to be acknowledged. The four wings of a Dragonfly have such a rapid flutter that the human eye only sees a blur. Take that information and combine an image of when birds fluff out their feathers to cool or dry and you have a filagree. As in so much of my sculpture, these observations of nature are eventually morphed into a form for sculptures by submitting them to machines and readily available house building materials. The intent is certainly not to replicate in any obvious, literal way the sources of my objects. If I spent say four years making an exact replica of a Dragonfly, people would probably be very pleased. Much more pleased, with more viewing hours, than they will be by this quasi-relatable thing. But that is the difference between art and craft. Here, you can't instantly say, it's a Dragonfly and be done with it. I want you to linger on the What? I am looking for that sliding scale, that slippery slope where what it is can never be answered - for the outside border of the familiar.
Full story...
501E RED VEIN
2008, 18'4"X 46"X 20", RED COLD CATHODE HALOGEN LIGHTS, LACQUERED MDF & WOOD, STAINLESS STEEL & COPPER
As you no doubt observed the sculpture before reading this text, you could have thought - some kind of fish skeleton, and you would be still on track with my intentions for this thing. A Dragonfly can hover virtually motionless in front of your face while the wings flutter furiously.
500A ACCUMULATOR
2007, 18" X 28' X 142", NEON & HIGH PRESSURE SODIUM LIGHTS, COPPER, LACQUERED MDF & WOOD
500.B ACCUMULATOR
2007, 18” X 28” X 142”, NEON & HIGH PRESSURE SODIUM LIGHTS, COPPER, LACQUERED WOOD
500.C ACCUMULATOR
2007, 18" X 28" X 142", NEON & HIGH PRESSURE SODIUM LIGHTS, COPPER, LACQUERED MDF & WOOD
500 D ACCUMULATOR
2007, 18” X 28” X 142”, NEON & HIGH PRESSURE SODIUM LIGHTS, COPPER, LACQUERED WOOD
500 E ACCUMULATOR
2007, 18” X 28” X 142”, NEON & HIGH PRESSURE SODIUM LIGHTS, COPPER, LACQUERED WOOD
499 AQUATICE
2006, 13'5" X 9'3" X 17.5", COLD CATHODE & HALOGEN LIGHTS, IRON, COPPER AND LAQUERED MDF
499A AQUATICE
2006, 13'5" X 9'3" X 17.5", COLD CATHODE & HALOGEN LIGHTS, IRON, COPPER AND LACQUERED MDF
498 LAIR
2005, 8' X 16" X 20" NEON & INCANDESCENT LIGHTS, LAQUERED WOOD
This embodies two ongoing themes that revolve around architecture and biomorphism. The sculpture depicts a place – a lair for something that inhabits cracks, while also suggesting that inhabitants form. (Think of the insects, sea creatures and animals that live in shells, rocks, cliffs, trees and caves.) With its “wing” on top and rows of teeth, this electro-medieval ornament could depict a bat or viscous kite. This surrealist or science fiction aspect comes out of observing the scientific developments in understanding and manipulating the building blocks of life. While science moves us forward in knowledge and capability, we are closing the door behind us as we eliminate habitats and species while toxifying the environment. From a forensic point of view, planet earth has a cancer - and it is us. This of course turns the narcissism of religion on its head. I therefore aim my work at giving the viewer a sense that my sculptures are the archaeological finds or legacy from the advanced un-civililization that we are building now.
This embodies two ongoing themes that revolve around architecture and biomorphism.
Full story...
496 CHRYSALIS
2000, 23” X 44” X 10’ 8”, ARGON NEON, INCANDESCENT LIGHT, ALUMINUM, ACRYLIC, LACQUERED WOOD
496.A CHRYSALIS
2000, 23” X 44” X 10’ 8”, ARGON NEON, INCANDESCENT LIGHT, ALUMINUM, ACRYLIC, LACQUERED WOOD
487 LUMINOW
2001, 16” X 18” X 9’,LACQUERED WOOD, NEON & INCANDESCENT LIGHTS, STAINLESS STEEL, BONDO.
487. A LUMINOW
2001, 16” X 18” X 9’,LACQUERED WOOD, NEON & INCANDESCENT LIGHTS, STAINLESS STEEL, BONDO.
487 E LUMINOW
2001, 16" X 18" X 9',LACQUERED WOOD, NEON & INCANDESCENT LIGHTS, STAINLESS STEEL, BONDO.
486 SUPINE
2000, 9” X 29.5” X 140”, LACQUERED WOOD, COLD CATHODE, HALOGEN, NEON & INCANDESCENT LIGHTS, ALUMINUM
486B SUPINE
2000, 9” X 29.5” X 140”, LACQUERED WOOD, COLD CATHODE, HALOGEN, NEON & INCANDESCENT LIGHTS, ALUMINUM
486C SUPINE
2000, 9” X 29.5” X 140”, LACQUERED WOOD, COLD CATHODE, HALOGEN, NEON & INCANDESCENT LIGHTS, ALUMINUM
483 VOYAGER
2000, 147” X 12” X 39.5”, COLD CATHODE, HALOGEN, NEON, INCANDESCENT LIGHTS, STEEL, LACQUERED WOOD
The concept of DNA gives a valuable tool for describing not only the individual but also our commonalities. As we grow up and are introduced to the whole array of historical events, certain elements seem to imprint or capture the imagination. As a child, I was enthralled by the identifying characteristics of past societies. Warriors and their devices were paramount. This sculpture grows from the heroic Vikings that set out into the unknown in open, shallow boats on the wild, cold sea.
483.A VOYAGER
2000, 147” X 12” X 39.5”, LACQUERED WOOD & MDF, COLD CATHODE, HALOGEN, NEON, INCANDESCENT LIGHTS, STEEL, ACRYLIC
The wind and tough men with long oars propelled ships that combined both function and imaginative belief. That story became a segment of, and related to other segments of my “DNA”. The results become not only me the individual, but also me as one part of the human awareness and aspiration. Perhaps this object is a reminder, a contrast, and antidote to our thermostatically controlled lives where the only surf we encounter is with our fingertips plying the Web.
479 TRON
1999, 50' X 2' X 2', RED COLD CATHODE LIGHT, STEEL, WOOD, ACRYLIC
TOWER 49, NYC. (TEMPORARY EXHIBIT)
I was asked to do a sculpture for this space in an office building that is across from the Rockefeller Center in NYC. The idea for this piece had been brewing on a back burner in my mind for a few years, and I decided this would be a good place to accomplish it. The idea came from a number of sources. First, Gatling guns, that are still being made, were the first machine guns developed for the Union side of our Civil War in the 1860s. The idea was to have many rifle barrels arranged in a cylinder, so the barrels had a chance to shoot, eject the spent shell, be reloaded, and cool as they were cranked around to the firing position. Such tools of war have been one of my fascinations since childhood, and this devise, in every reiteration, looks fearsomely simple and lethal. Today’s bombers, fighter jets and helicopters use this same approach in what they call rotary cannons to destroy tanks and murder what often turn out to be civilians. And those occurrences are beamed into our living rooms. continued in next image.
Full story...
479 B TRON
1999, 50' X 2' X 2', RED COLD CATHODE LIGHT, STEEL, WOOD, ACRYLIC, TOWER 49, NYC. (TEMPORARY INSTALLATION AT TOWER 49, NYC)
continued...
The second source for the sculpture is the presence of the nuclear facility that we can see from our bedroom in Vermont. Until recently, there were 89 control rods, suspended in a pool of water 70’ above ground, which were producing the heat to drive turbines for electricity. It is amusing that we would wind up in a place where we could actually see the place that produced the electricity that my sculptures feed on. The third impetus for “Tron” was watching the footage of our ability to guide missiles into Middle Eastern windows. Because they have different ideas. The fourth factor that enabled the “Tron” idea was the hundreds of feet of red Cold Cathode light I retrieved from one of my public art installations that had to be removed for Boston’s Big Dig project. Always looking to economize, not waste, and turn unfortunate events into something positive, these thousands of dollars of red tubes of gas have instigated all the sculptures that have and will be in my sculptures that use them.
continued in next image.
479 D TRON
1999, 50' X 2' X 2', RED COLD CATHODE LIGHT, STEEL, WOOD, ACRYLIC, TOWER 49, NYC. (TEMPORARY INSTALLATION AT TOWER 49, NYC)
continued...
I thought that I could get away with all of these associations if no one asked what my intentions were. Because it was made for the space proportionally, in both size and physical presence; and was in the color scheme of the red granite walls, I thought it would make an interesting addition for people who don’t do a lot of reflection and interpretation. I also made red paintings that appeared to be snap shots of maybe Mars to suggest that this device was out there in space. At the pointed end, the form looks like it has quite a bit of use on it, as if it was a chipped and no longer a smooth tool bit. (That would be hard to see, as I often include details that are obscure or not visible. I like that we see the moon so often, but not with the degree of detail that we would have if were walking on it - I am after that allure.) At the tail end, I do vaguely suggest a squids shape after pumping itself through the water. continued in next image.
479 F TRON
1999, 50' X 2' X 2', RED COLD CATHODE LIGHT, STEEL, WOOD, ACRYLIC, TOWER 49, NYC. (TEMPORARY)
continued...
Squids move easily in both directions, and my sculptures often are meant to look like they do as well. (One of my key sources for all my work is the 1954 movie I saw as a child of “20,000 Leagues Under The Sea”. In that movie, a giant squid battles with the submarine.) Well, the sculpture was approved by the art people (who often see things through Formalism) and a contingent of the building staff. I was most pleased that these people who keep the building functioning were very excited. This was not just a perplexing work of art for them; it was a working thing that solved all the technical issues with cool looking, custom made solutions. They embraced this new thing as something they had never seen before and could not have come up with. next image...
479 H TRON
1999, 50' X 2' X 2', RED COLD CATHODE LIGHT, STEEL, WOOD, ACRYLIC, TOWER 49, NYC. (TEMPORARY INSTALLATION AT TOWER 49, NYC)
continued...
I am not claiming they would like it better than a Gatling gun. I also thought that this being NYC, the buildings office workers were more aware of the world, culture and inured to odd ball stuff. I also didn’t realize that the head of maintenance had been in the hospital when the approval process went through. When he came back, he referred to it as HIS building and threatened to quit. And there grew a group of dissenters who were creeped out and wanted it down prior to its 3 month duration. While I was installing it, it was clear that yet again, people hated or loved it. I quit doing public art because I do not need to be liked or need majority approval. There is a fundamental difference with public art that people have to live with, and art in a museum, where people are seeking out a new experience, and can leave when they wish.
269 SELF PORTRAIT
1993, 21 X 16 X 12.5,LACQUERED WOOD & INCANDESCENT LIGHT
255 SCISSION
1990, 82.5" X 21.75" X 28.75", LACQUERED WOOD
255.A SCISSION
1990, 82.5" X 21.75" X 28.75", LACQUERED WOOD
253 WALL VIKING
1990, 61" X 13" X 8.5", CAST IRON & PAINT
253.A WALL VIKING
1990, 61" X 13" X 8.5", CAST IRON & PAINT
251 EYE
1990, 11.5" X 105" X 7", WOOD & PAINT.
244.C REGENERAT
1989, 80" X 9.5" X 20", LACQUERED WOOD
244.B REGENERAT
1989, 80" X 9.5" X 20", LACQUERED WOOD
239 RAPE
1989, 36.5" X 20" X 14", WOOD & PAINT.
239.A RAPE
1989, 36.5" X 20" X 14", WOOD & PAINT.
238 EXTINCT
1989, 37" X 17" X 18", WOOD & PAINT.
238.A EXTINCT
1989, 37" X 17" X 18", WOOD & PAINT.
237 Where Once Was
1989, 12.25" X 19" X 7", WOOD, ACRYLIC, NEON & PAINT.
215 DACHSHUNDS
"DACHSHUNDS", 1987, 15 3/4" X 9" X 18", CAST IRON ANDIRONS.
195 "MANIPULATOR"
There are two figures, one black that supports the other of blue neon. As with all my work, there is the juxtaposing of opposites – here the dark solid and the glowing diaphanous gas. The tops of the neon tubes are connected with a black and white connecting wire. A mouth on the black head supports that wire. In pre-germaphobia societies where people make things like baskets, the mouth joins the two hands in the construction process. The decorative treatment of that wire is an aid to the viewers interpretation of crafting - but what is being crafted is an approximation of another person. So, this sculpture is about man as the primary manipulator organism as well as about parental nurturing. There is one more point that is salient to me but would be missed by any viewer. The neon is not held in place by anything but friction. Given that the glass is as thin and fragile as a fine wine goblet, this is risky engineering. This attraction to risk is systemic to my work – its fragility, electrification and difficult comodification. It also turns up in my life as an avid skier in spite of numerous broken bones.
186 CARRIER
1985, 51" X 9'1" X 2", WOOD, PAINT, NEON & STEEL.
"Carrier" may be one of the first sculptures that were influenced by the radar cloaking jet fighters and bombers. Like a number of other sculptures to follow, its form combines a place – a floating architecture - with the life form that would inhabit that place. Viewed from the front, it is primarily architectural with what could be vent stacks or sound horns protruding from the top. Just like architecture, it appears to have or house an interior that we glimpse through various slits. It is quite structural in a science fiction factory sort of way. The interior is mostly given over to tubes of light so its resident would most likely be a spider. Indeed, a spider palace! From the side everything gets a different interpretation. Here it appears as a bird with its beak down, its feet up in the air and its wings stretched out. Although not literal, it could be a bird of prey, a Condor swooping down to catch something.
194 POET
1985, 55" X 26" X 24", WOOD, PAINT, BRONZE, LUMILINE LIGHT & WAX PENCIL. PRIVATE COLLECTION
190 BRONZE PONY
1984, 14 3/4" X 3.75" X 11", BRONZE.