My journey has been away from the "artist as speaker", toward the "artist as listener". I believe I have known, internally since an early age, that my part was more that of the receiver than a transmittor. However, the definition of the artist by society has made it difficult to bring this inner truth to a conscious level.

In viewing myself on the receiving end, I see the Lord God as the one I listen to, the one that I submit to and receive, as does the bride to the groom. Within that marriage, I am drawn to process, the creative act itself. Trusting in what develops out of a communication with my Lord will be a fitting testament to that communication.

Process, I think is key to one who is interested in communication. For that reason my emphasis has turned from carving directly into stone and wood, to working with water, clay, and fire. I desire to work with these materials in a way that opens the communication channels as wide as possible. Taking on processes that make me more vulnerable to the unexpected and unplanned has opened me up to exploration and experimentation. There is a dialog going on by way of the vessel all through the process.

Still, I consider myself a sculptor and approach the vessel with little consideration for functional use. The vessel anchors me to a symbology that is important to the content of my work, while allowing the exploration of form, texture and color, without alienating me from that portion of the public that is uncomfortable with abstract work.

This new awareness of my status within the relationship has, in turn, altered my perception of those who view my work. Before, the public was to me a mere recipient of my work, the receiver of my statement. Now I see my public as
a conductor, becoming a richer part of the communicative process and more important and held with greater esteem than they were when I considered them the final destination.

The paradox has flowered in the redirecting of my gaze to Him so that now I see in the public the very image of my beloved. I strive to give back to the Lord into the hands of those after His image, the fruit of what is God's precious gift in me. And in this, I am blessed.