Two of the Five Hurricanes that visited Florida in 2004 were dangerously near my home. There was much preparation, shutters attached, loose items stored, choices made for things to be saved. Eventually, the only route left was that of evacuation, twice. After these storms, as bad as they were, we all were grateful at what had been spared. Even though nature's impact had left us dazed, confused, and determined to gather ourselves, and return to what was for each of us, our normal lives. For me, that meant a return to art and the production of sculpture. All around me were examples of how some of nature was destroyed and how some was even then quickly rebounding. There were numerous examples of how the engineering and construction of humans did and or did not, withstand the ravages of Mother Nature and her fury. Piles of debris, both construction and natural were became larger and larger daily. Mountains of what had once, only recently, seemed invincible, waited for disposal. My sculptural thoughts turned to using these materials not as trash, but as items for human consideration. These ranged from the torn metal roof panels, to shingles and asphalt, to heaps of twigs, limbs and tree trunks, once the very things that we looked to for protection and security. My sculptures became those of nestling forms that were human made within form that came from nature, or vice versa. This cannot become a very large series of works, because the debris has now dwindled and little is left as choices. Life is getting back to normal. I sincerely hope that the viewer will see some solace in these works, some realization of man and nature and their co-dependency. And, I sincerely hope that it is a long time before I have this opportunity again.
Two of the Five Hurricanes that visited Florida in 2004 were dangerously near my home. There was much preparation, shutters attached, loose items stored, choices made for things to be saved. Eventually, the only route left was that of evacuation, twice. After these storms, as bad as they were, we all were grateful at what had been spared. Even though nature's impact had left us dazed, confused, and determined to gather ourselves, and return to what was for each of us, our normal lives. For me, that meant a return to art and the production of sculpture. All around me were examples of how some of nature was destroyed and how some was even then quickly rebounding. There were numerous examples of how the engineering and construction of humans did and or did not, withstand the ravages of Mother Nature and her fury. Piles of debris, both construction and natural were became larger and larger daily. Mountains of what had once, only recently, seemed invincible, waited for disposal. My sculptural thoughts turned to using these materials not as trash, but as items for human consideration. These ranged from the torn metal roof panels, to shingles and asphalt, to heaps of twigs, limbs and tree trunks, once the very things that we looked to for protection and security. My sculptures became those of nestling forms that were human made within form that came from nature, or vice versa. This cannot become a very large series of works, because the debris has now dwindled and little is left as choices. Life is getting back to normal. I sincerely hope that the viewer will see some solace in these works, some realization of man and nature and their co-dependency. And, I sincerely hope that it is a long time before I have this opportunity again.
