new ideas are in bloom

In the spring the plants push through the surface of the earth making my mind whirl with all the new creations that I must make. This year was particularly inspirational as I created a line of flowers from the many years I have spent in the garden.

The idea of incorporating recycled glass into my metal sculpture has always been very appealing to me. Since I am part magpie, anything shiny seems to drawl me in. Shiny and full of color can almost make my head explode! Each flower I have made seems to take me off on another tangent.

Here are some pictures of the bounty as of yesterday..there will be many more to come as the garden grows!

there is a story behind every cork

The Cork sculpture was an exciting project created for the Pennsylvania Wine association unveiled at the Farm show in Harrisburg, January 2012.  The concept was to create a piece that incorporated corks from several different Pennsylvania vineyards and wineries in the Association.  The theme of the installation was “there’s a story behind every cork”.  The effort asked wine lovers to share their Pennsylvania wine stories and read some of the many tales submitted by other wine lovers. For every story submitted, the PWA added another cork to its growing collection and donated one dollar to the NCFL, an organization that inspires and engages families in the pursuit of education and learning together. In the end they mailed me boxes of corks they collected and I turned them into clusters that were hung off a sculptural vine structure.

catfish swims into east falls

After creating two bike racks for the NKCDC, I fell in love with the concept of creating this kind of function art. I started to seek out other areas that might want an artrack. At this time, The East Falls Development Corporation (EFDC), in Philadelphia, PA sent out a call to artists to create several eco-art fish to install through out the area. This made me immediately think BIKERACK! I called straight away to see if a bike rack would fit into the criteria of the project.  They loved the idea so I started plugging away to get a proposal together for them.

Catfish bikerack proposal:  to create a linear sculpture that incorporates a variety of scrap metal pieces, including farm equipment, pipe and rebar.

Like all of my work, Catfish is about creating a fluid movement with lines that directs your eye around the sculpture.  My goal is to not only to be a source of function but my hope is that I might show people, children especially to recycle. I also secretly dream that catfish will entice the people of East Falls to ride their bikes to work or to the park so that they can use something that I made just for them.  I envision kids chaining their bikes and climbing on him. (please don’t fall, ok? i only want happy smiling people around catfish.) I love the idea of beauty found in the mundane concept of a bike rack.

spring is in bloom in oaks pennsylvania

This weekend February 23rd-36th, I have some work in the Home and Garden Show at The Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks PA.  I  incorporated some of my sculpture into the booth of Crystal Clear Signature Pools and Waitkus Design Lanscape Architecture and Construction.  All the exhibitors have been working hard to make a beautiful space for you to come and enjoy. They have created a spring filled wonderland so stop by and check it out!

Dragonfly and Chandelier

Reclaimed Insulator Chandelier