Artist Statement

I am a self-taught sculptor who began in 2002. I learned the traditional craft of stone carving by working among the artigiani in Pietrasanta, Italy.

Some of the oldest known works of representational art are carved out of stone. Stone sculpture was perfected through the ages by the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Romans, and the famed sculptors of the Italian Renaissance. How to work with this most ancient matter, and while honoring its noble tradition also express something powerful in a completely new and authentic way? This challenge is what pushes me.

I am driven to give life to stone, an impossibly static material, and to portray the eternal and ephemeral emotions that both bind us together and drive us apart. Using this timeless substance I strive to tell the enduring stories of human interaction and feelings: of conflict and anger, of desire and fear.

Most importantly, I want to capture the moment of greatest tension in each story. I find that by reducing the composition to only the most expressive gestures of a scene, I am able to better highlight the emotional intensity at that climactic point in time. Often the resulting sculpture includes fragments of the figure. Other times, it is something more abstract.

Regardless of the narrative that I am trying to convey, I find that people invariably bring their own story to my pieces. These personal and heartfelt reactions add unexpected richness and meaning to my work.