Biographical Information:
Born in Schenectady, New York, raised in Washington, D.C., I have been intrigued by art of all kinds for most of my life. By the time I entered college I, not knowing what I wanted to do, thought, and quickly abandoned, dentistry. Literature appealed to me and ultimately, I earned a PhD in English and taught English literature at university. While I was doing scholarly work on English literature, I began to feel a tug toward doing, not just intellectualizing about art. My first artistic foray was in woodworking. After a while, I could not shake the impact Dylan Thomas’ poem, “In My Craft or Sullen Art” had on me. I kept feeling I was doing craft, not art, and I wanted more. A friend urged me to look seriously at stone sculpture as my art focus. I eventually went to his sculpting class, and as soon as I set foot in the studio and looked at the work the students were doing, I was hooked. That was 20 years ago. I have been joyfully doing stone sculpting from that date to now. Sculpting is something I simply cannot NOT do. It is a passion. I create abstract sculptures. I do not strive to make statements with my art. Rather, I try to bring beauty into this world, and at the same time soothe my soul by fulfilling the creative process. I have been in several shows and look forward to continuing my love/work in stone.
Artist Statement:
Nature is raw. Art is practiced. Each stone has its own language and I work to understand that language. Some of the learning comes from striving to listen to what each stone is saying. Each has a color, a shape, and a hidden beauty. While valuing that uniqueness, I strive to let my imagination fly free, in order build upon nature’s creation: blending raw nature with understanding the language of this stone. So begins the conversation between stone and sculptor. When a stone selects me, I cannot know what striations, hues, density, faults, lie under the surface. As I begin chiseling and grinding, the stone talks to me, saying, “I have this special colored line running through me: preserve it.” Or, “slightly shift the angle of this or that curve.” Or, “work with me: together we can bring forth that special surprise, that new beauty never before seen.” The conversation continues until nature’s stone and my imagination marry and together say, “stop – our work is done.” For me that conversation must lead to a sculpture that has movement, movement, movement. That movement is stone brought to life in a way never before seen.
Affiliations:
Pasadena Society of Artists, 2019
Los Angeles Art Association, 2019
Education:
George Washington University, BA, English
University of California at Berkeley, Masters, English
University of Wisconsin at Madison, Ph.D, English
Exhibitions
2020
2020 Open Show, Los Angeles Art Association, Los Angeles, CA
5th Anniversary Art Exhibition, Fusion Art, Palm Springs, CA
Beverly Hills Art Show, Beverly Hills, CA (COVID postponed)
95th Annual Juried Show, Pasadena Society of Artists, Pasadena, CA
Keeping the Faith: An Artistic Celebration of Judaism, Studios on the Park, Paso Robles, CA
New Member Showcase, Pasadena Society of Artists, Pasadena, CA
2019
Whisper, American Jewish University, Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles Art Association Open Show, Los Angeles, CA
Casa de la Mariposa, McGinty’s Gallery at the End of the World, Altadena, CA
Awards
2020
2020 Award of Merit (Best in Show), 95th Annual Juried Exhibition, Pasadena Society of Artists
2020 Best in Show, Fusion Art, Palm Springs, CA
