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When I was 12, my dad took up sailing and I discovered a whole new world. Spending adolescence on the water as my dad's crew, I fell in love with the beauty of this natural endeavor. All my life's accomplishments after that emanated from that formative period in my life.
By the time I was in my mid-20s, I had developed a keen eye for the shapes of boats. I had earned an engineering degree in college, which for twelve years I applied in the yacht design and building profession. To me, there are few things more beautiful than a perfectly fair, thoughtfully laid-out curve or the natural beauty of fine wood.
Later, I started a company for designing and building custom furniture, after teaching myself woodworking and building cabinetry out of my garage. This new profession arose from my talent for designing yacht's interiors, but gave me more freedom to express my creativity.
My dad died in 1994. I still grieve for him today. He was my best friend. |
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In 2004, I started an incredible series of dreams in which my dad reassured me that he was still with me. He shared the glory of the afterlife with me. "You are privileged!" he said. I had always known that he loved me, but in those dreams I came to understand that his love was boundless and undying.
My dad's outpouring of love in my dreams inspires my art which is full of life. I begin with a search for the correct wood to stimulate a visual image in my mind's eye followed by a feeling. The grain pattern is of utmost importance as that is what makes the light dance on the finished piece and bring it to life. I then choose organic shapes or themes to create art that will infuse emotion to the viewer.
When I put an image into form, it takes on a life of its own. The finishes and patinas enhance the refraction of light through the wood in such a way that the art is always in motion, always playing, talking to the viewer in a way that only organic matter can do. As if it had a soul. As Alexander Calder said, "Why must art be static? You look at an abstraction, sculptured or painted, an entirely exciting arrangement of planes, spheres, nuclei, entirely without meaning. It would be perfect but it is always still."
Art is a form of touch-token magic. The love I feel from my dad in my dreams is made manifest in my art and then it touches you. As you experience my art, I hope the boundless expression of love that inspires it is transferred to you.
You are privileged, too! |
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