My newest SCULPTURES are a return to an interest in the transformation of 2-D into 3-D, and their inter-relationships that I was exploring in the late 1970s. The development of these earlier sculptures was influenced by the 2-D Eighteenth Century Chinese Tangram square-shaped puzzle and the Gestalt theory of the sum of the separate parts being greater than the whole. Examples of these earlier works can be viewed in the Outdoor Sculpture and 3-D Sketches/Models tabs in this website.
The development of this new series of welded aluminum sculptures derives from individual 2-D Works-On-Paper that evolved from tile patterns in ancient and medieval architectural settings. The concept of developing these new 3-D forms from 2-D images developed from my interest in the 2-D Buddhist mandalas of Second Century BCE Southern Asia and how they became floor plans for their 3-D ancient burial stupas.
For example, CC Dublin was developed from a paper artwork in 2017 (see in website Works On Paper tab) that was influenced by floor tiles in Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland. In the CC Dublin aluminum sculpture, the curved and angular polychrome planes are wrapped around a black tetrahedral frame which is the simplest 3-D form in nature. This essential form is an influence from my early studies with R. Buckminster Fuller in California in the mid-1960s. The goldleaf-covered cap at the top reflects my life-long interest in archaeology, which includes the Egyptian pyramids. Goldleaf is a material that I have been using on my sculptures since 1982, and 2-D work since 1985, for its symbolic and luminous qualities.
My newest series of WORKS ON PAPER, begun in 2015, is based on tile and stone patterns that were observed and photographed during my travels to ancient, medieval, and historical sites in the Americas, Mexico, Europe and Asia. As stated above, I have been utilizing gold leaf since 1982 for its luminous and symbolic qualities. The black ink grid and marks on the gold, which I have been exploring since 2003, bring the viewer back to the surface but still allow visual access to the inner luminosity of the gold leaf. Each paper element of the composition is cut separately before the oil pastel is applied. Then, it is re-assembled in a manner similar to the making of stained-glass windows or mosaics. The colors of the oil pastels, based on the color pallet from that specific culture, create an additional voice to the compositional interaction between the lines, marks and forms
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