Why do I create
Sculpture? Creating sculpture is part of me, like breathing. I
can not not create. Creating is what I came here to do. It is
my life work – to create beauty and share it with the world.
Creating is part of my life work. Sharing is part of my life work.
I have found a way to create and share at the same time. I call
it a Public Carving Experience.
This experience
takes place any place there are a lot of people passing by. I
have a large, 5 or 6 foot tall Feather Rock or Limestone delivered
and I begin carving. I start by roughing out the shape, whatever
shape comes out. As I carve, people stop and watch, then ask questions.
Question:
What are you carving?
Answer: I am just letting the shape emerge from the stone. No plan,
no drawing, just going with the flow of the stone and what ever
happens.
Then
I ask them to try carving. This usually elicits a response of “Oh,
no, I would just break it.” So, I explain that there are no
accidents, no mistakes in ART. Also, the way I carve, you don’t
have to know what you are doing. I show them how to hold the hammer
and the chisel, and after a few tries they are carving. This is
when the magic begins. They really enjoy carving on the stone. Their
joy spreads to the people passing by and more people carve. They
come back week after week to watch the progress of the sculpture
and to contribute. They are helping me carve the sculpture. When
this happens, it is a collaborative piece, we all created it.
For
most people, they have never seen a stone sculpture carved. They
have never been able to use the tools and carve on stone. And most
of all they have never even contributed to the creation of a sculpture.
So,
this is how I create sculpture and share it with everyone.
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