Artist's Statement

I am primarily a sculptor in stone. Everything I do is designed to assist me in doing stone in large (10-30 ton) format. Trained in both direct and indirect carving I can pull images from "found" shapes at the quarry or follow models with precision enlarging and carving. My studio in Pietrasanta, Italy gives me access to the best marbles and support services in the world. My studio in Richmond gives me a place to finish work roughed out in Italy and access to the U.S. market. Thirty years of education and survival has taught me that a sculptor has to be able to handle opposites, (figures-abstract, monumental-intimate, personal-public, color-monochrome, etc.). I came to the arts with a love of nature and it has grown from the female figure, through sea forms to crystals, with some periods having all of these form projects going on at the same time. At my best I can hear the stones speak and I try to stay with those voices. I am most alive when covered with stone dust.

When you review this 30 year record you notice the serious commitment to children and education. For me art is basic. I wouldn't let you take my child's art away any more than I would let you remove her computer. She needs and is using both. I believe each student has the right to have their multiple intelligences stimulated every day. I believe that the arts can provide stressed communities with options and access and that the arts are the ultimate tool for educational reform. The whole village needs all of the arts now at a level that is totally committed to excellence.