What Is Art? How Do We Define It?
I would define art as intuition – that immediate insight and perception, the capacity to gain an accurate and deep understanding of something. For me, the creative process is as much about intuition as it is about an aesthetic vision and the search for meaning. Through intuition the psyche delves into the region of myth -- our collective history as humans. The mind is always formulating its experiences in new ways. When the thought process looks within, the “story telling” is renewed and always updated.
An artist is forever driven to express something of what we know about the people, places and objects that touch us and to communicate these experiences, passions, and lessons learned with others. As I reflect on the creative process I will try to share with you that which is visual and inspirational to me.
The work spans 30 years, but focus is on the last 20 years while living on the grounds of Thornton Steel in Ft. Worth, Texas. The factory ambiance, which has been my home and working studio, has provided me with another wonderful opportunity to learn about and use steel in my creative processes. For me it was a way to raise stone off the traditional “base” and attach the carved form to a steel structure. Using the technology of fastening steel together with nuts and bolts, observed here in the factory, the carved stone form is securely attached to the steel in the same way.
