74" x 29" x 18"
Bronze Sculpture on Steel or Bronze Base
‘Fallen Leaf' was also created from a piece of styrofoam found near my studio. The shape immediately grabbed my attention and my job became not to screw it up. I saw the opportunity to bring the 3-sided piece to life by creating 3 unique textures. The back convex shape is basically the original texture, the front concave shape I enhanced with crosshatching, and the spine (the smallest side) took on an etherial quality with a mirror-like surface and an undulating landscape. Finished with a black and green patina and mounted on 2 offset pins the piece has an almost delicate feel of a fallen leaf.
18" x 24" x 18"
Bronze
‘From the Sea' was the first abstract bronze I have done that wasn’t inspired by the original shape. A broken piece of dock flotation found on the rocks was a basic battered square shape. I wanted to bring it to life by capturing shapes that I have come to love from the ocean without doing anything representational. Again the idea of radically different textures connected by a hole in the middle emerges. On the one side the beauty of a time worn conch shell can be detected while the other side was more influenced by the holes clams leave in the beach with the convex cones. Both sides are connected with an outer shell that has textures found in turtle shells. Most importantly I wanted to patina it in a way that reflected the magical sea greens and blacks that you find on the rocks at low tide. Like the ocean, I wanted you to see how the sculpture changes as the light changes.
22” X 6” X 18”
Reclaimed Plywood On Granite
‘Wayfarer’ was my first abstract done in reclaimed plywood off a local construction site. Utilizing used plywood and yellow cedar from an old mantelpiece revealed to me how fascinating it is to work with found materials as the medium sort of leads the work. You work with whatever imperfections you find (holes, screws, nails, etc.) and incorporate them into the work. In this piece I loved the fluidity of it and the graceful shapes the wood took on. And since you have virtually no idea where you are going to end up when you start it becomes an exercise in imagination to know when you get there.
14.5" x 14.5" x 23"
Bronze
‘Seal' also found its origins in styrofoam pulled from the sea. I wanted to push the themes, shapes and textures explored in 'From the Sea' and create a piece that could appear radically different from every angle that you looked at. As opposed to having 2 sides this piece took different influences to create different shapes on all sides. Looked at one way you can see shapes found in marine life like seals and whales and sea lions and looked at another way it has shapes seen in more amphibiois creatures. Using and connecting flowing looping shapes 'Seal' has a mirror-like finish that accentuates the beautiful green patinas found on the ocean.
78" x 22" x 16"
Bronze
When I first conceived of the idea for ‘Ocean’ I saw it as a red piece. In fact, the original styrofoam form was painted red as I imagined what I could do with it. After I cast it in bronze I had a change of heart and used rich blue and black patinas to create the first piece. Having done that I wanted to try and do an ‘Ocean’ that could go outside and withstand the elements. Blue is somewhat trickier outside so I returned to the idea of doing ‘Ocean’ in red. I was still intrigued with the idea of an “inside” and an “outside” and focused the outside being the shiny perfect surface that presents to the outside world while the “inside” was a molten mess struggling to get out. This time I wanted to use a golden red on the smooth exterior while using a sea green on the molten interior. Again, I found the surfaces ideally suited to these new colours and found they gave me a whole different look and feel to the work. The golden red actually came to feel like the bronze buoys one sees at sea.
Bronze
14.5” X 14.5” X 23”
‘Seal' also found its origins in styrofoam pulled from the sea. I wanted to push the themes, shapes and textures explored in 'From the Sea' and create a piece that could appear radically different from every angle that you looked at. As opposed to having 2 sides this piece took different influences to create different shapes on all sides. Looked at one way you can see shapes found in marine life like seals and whales and sea lions and looked at another way it has shapes seen in more amphibious creatures. Using and connecting flowing looping shapes 'Seal' has a mirror-like finish that accentuates the beautiful blue patinas found on the ocean.
20.5” X 8.5” X 21”
Reclaimed Plywood On Granite
‘Wayfarer V’ came about by using the scraps of wood left over from the bigger reclaimed wood sculptures. I wanted to use the interesting corner angles, the odd wood scraps and the unique leftover shapes and laminate them. Heavily influenced by what I saw on the sea, the four pieces in this mini-series took on elements of fish, shells, birds, seals, otters and most importantly how they interacted with their environment at any given time. Like in the first ‘Wayfarer’, I tried to mix and match the shapes and textures of the different woods to create a visual interest in the piece as well as give each piece a unique look and feel
18" x 24" x 18"
Bronze
I have become fascinated with the idea of there being more than one way of doing the same piece. ‘From the Sea’ is a special piece to me in that it brings together so many themes and images ranging from sea shells, to trumpets, to turtles, to water worn rocks. Since I had explored the ocean greens I wanted to explore the ocean blues and see how that would change the piece. Getting the right blue was the first challenge and then getting the right black to contrast the blue became another challenge. Wanting it to feel like it had come from the sea dictated that the blue and the black had to be tied together by the time-worn feel of the bronze showing through. As with its sister piece, I wanted the sculpture to change colour with the time of day and the type of light.
74" x 29" x 18"
Bronze
I immediately fell in love with the shape of ‘Leaf’. Its three unique sides gave the sculpture three totally different surfaces to play with. And like a leaf, it allowed it to appear like three totally different sculptures depending on the angle. The original moss green ‘Leaf’ was a natural colour palette to explore and I wanted to try and see how else I could use the shape and change the look and feel with colour without changing the texture. As I played with it I imagined more of a fall leaf with blacks, reds, whites and golds to give it a totally different vibe. Most importantly I wanted this piece to be an evolution of the original fallen leaf. In this piece the key line has always been the ethereal backbone which gives it is shape and definition. I wanted to highlight that line by using a heavier black patina with a high gloss bronze highlight, drawing your attention to the unique shape and giving the piece its elegance.
15” X 9” X 23.5”
Bronze
I love repurposing. It makes me feel creative when I can take something that was supposed to be something else and reuse it in a different way. The Wayfarer bronze series is a great example. Wayfarers started out as sculptures made from the laminated scraps of the bigger laminated projects that I was working on. From those scraps I made the first 5 Wayfarers and thought I was done. An artist friend of mine asked me what I was going to do with the wood pieces and I drew a blank. He wanted to know was that the end game or was there more. That got me thinking and led me to make molds of two of them as an experiment. What if I could use the shapes of the Wayfarers and make other sculptures that may or may not resemble the originals in bronze. ‘Otter’ was the first of that series. Creating an abstract I didn’t want to make a representational otter but instead focused on the fluidity of the otter and its movements. That brought me to the looping ovals tied together by the elongated form with that wacky sense of playfulness.
14” X 8” X 21.5”
Bronze
The third in the Wayfarer bronze series is ‘On the Rocks’. Using the same form and shape as ‘Taking Flight’ I wanted to use different texture and colour to tell a totally different story. We have many seals in front of the studio and I was influenced by the shape and to some extent the colour of a seal on the rocks. At the same time, I didn’t want to do a seal sculpture and in fact I saw the line on the reverse side of the sculpture as the line and form of a bird landing on the rocks much as the seagulls do every morning. The idea of looking at a piece in different ways and seeing different things has always been important to me. I don’t want my art to be boring. I want you to see something totally different 10 years from now that you never noticed or better yet, have someone else point something out that you never saw quite that way. Using greens, blues, reds, browns, golds and blacks I wanted to capitalize on the rough texture on the top and bottom and define the line of the piece with a mirror finish bronze.
15.5” X 10” X 22”
Bronze
The second in the Wayfarer bronze series is ‘Taking Flight’. Again, making from a Wayfarer wood mold I was responding to a gorgeous shot of the Wayfarer I captured at magic hour as the light hit it on my coffee table. It started me thinking about how I could make that “light” be present all the time and how I could create a bronze piece around that. That led to a highly polished mirror finish for the top and sides that elevated the line of the piece to be almost ethereal. The bottom blue came about from the magical blues I saw on Santorini in Greece which is probably my favourite light ever. Instead of the classic blue and white of Greece I wanted to put a more modern twist on it with the same blue and bronze creating an always light piece.
14” X 8” X 21.5”
Bronze
The fourth in the Wayfarer bronze series is ‘On the Waves’. Starting from the same mold as ‘Otter’ it bears absolutely no resemblance to ‘Otter’. Much more simple in line and form, to some it seems inspired by at any given time seals, birds, saxophones, jazz notes and loons. In actual fact I loved the upright stance of the original wood Wayfarer and wanted to maintain that but add much more of the sea to it. Again, using the elegant mirror finish bronze line to define the piece I wanted to capture that shape birds have as they sit atop the ocean waters without actually doing a bird. I used deep greens and blacks to give a worn lived-in look and feel and wanted it to have that glorious sheen that wet things do on the water.
20.5” X 23” X 14”
Bronze
Following on from ‘Seal’ and ‘From the Sea’ I wanted to do another large abstract piece that originated from a piece of discarded dock floatation I found out front of my studio. This piece, while relatively boxy, somehow reminded me of a log. Now the logs I love have two core elements. They all have the hole used in tying the booms together, and the ones I really love have the rope wrapped around the bottom or the top. With that as my starting point I charged off. My favourite middle kid found the perfect rope for the base and I had to figure out what to do to the top. There were many iterations, some simple and some super complex, but I settled on trying to tie in the shapes and forms that remind me of the sea. The languid shape of a fish, the neck of a loon, the ever presence of shell-life, and most importantly the textures and colours of the log itself. For this piece I wanted the randomness of colour that you find when something has been outside and in the water for years. I also wanted the depth of a true patina that is so multi layered and multi coloured that evolves from the passing of time.
16” X 7” X 20”
Reclaimed Plywood On Granite
‘Wayfarer’ was my first abstract done in reclaimed plywood off a local construction site. Utilizing used plywood and yellow cedar from an old mantelpiece revealed to me how fascinating it is to work with found materials as the medium sort of leads the work. You work with whatever imperfections you find (holes, screws, nails, etc.) and incorporate them into the work. In this piece I loved the fluidity of it and the graceful shapes the wood took on. And since you have virtually no idea where you are going to end up when you start it becomes an exercise in imagination to know when you get there.
19” X 6.5” X 23”
Reclaimed Plywood On Granite
‘Wayfarer IV’ came about by using the scraps of wood left over from the bigger reclaimed wood sculptures. I wanted to use the interesting corner angles, the odd wood scraps and the unique leftover shapes and laminate them. Heavily influenced by what I saw on the sea, the four pieces in this mini-series took on elements of fish, shells, birds, seals, otters and most importantly how they interacted with their environment at any given time. Like in the first ‘Wayfarer’, I tried to mix and match the shapes and textures of the different woods to create a visual interest in the piece as well as give each piece a unique look and feel
10” x 30” x 3”
Bronze on Steel Frame
This is a sculpture of my 6-year-old son playing baseball. It could be any boy playing baseball at that age. They love the idea of the game but they don’t really know how to play yet. I wanted to capture the thrill of having the mitt on but the reality that the ball isn’t going to find its way into it at this stage.
10” x 30” x 3”
Bronze on Steel Frame
Is one of my favourite sculptures. Charlie is a guy who loves life. He feels like life has been good to him, he is content. He loves to take it all in and always seems to have a sense and a vibe that this all is pretty cool. When I was doing this one I imagined him standing on the end of his dock or deck and being super comfortable with where he was in his life. We all know a Charlie.
48” X 12” X 12”
Reclaimed Plywood
I wanted to capture that moment when you are having a time of it and some stranger walks up and says, “How can I help you?” You can tell by the way they carry themselves, the way they look, and even the rolled up sleeves, that they are ready to help and even want to help. That is what they do. That is part of their DNA. By doing this in reclaimed wood I was limited as to how much detail I could put in and that forced me to capture the sentiment in how they held their body, the tilt of the head, the hands in the pockets and that sense of, “I’m not going anywhere until this is solved”. I love those people!
15.5” X 9.5” 11”
Reclaimed Plywood
This is a theme I have revisited many times. It fascinates me as it feels like I want the sculpture to tell a story in as few lines as humanly possible. I have done this piece in stone, in bronze and now wood. Each medium brings something different to the party. The wood, I love, because it brings a richness and a softness to the piece that I can’t get in stone or bronze. The grain defines the piece in that it shapes so differently as you show the contour of the piece. Some pieces take on more a “thinking man” quality while others appear more meditative depending on the pose. The real beauty of the wood is the introduction of colour through the different hues of woods. The greens, reds, golds and browns all give each piece a different feel.
46” X 48” X 6”
Bronze
Four years ago I created in wood a piece called, “Inside Looking Out” which to me represented someone lost in thought as they stared out across the ocean. It is truly one of my favourite pieces. One could only imagine what they were thinking because their thoughts were so private and their comfort in their own skin so complete. I wanted to revisit this theme in bronze but didn't have the texture or the colour of wood to work with and my first few attempts in bronze were a disaster. Without the character of the wood it held no long term interest for the viewer. I then started to play with using colour through various patinas. I wanted something that would give it a sense of gravitas without giving it a sense of formality. It still needed to be someone who was totally comfortable in their own skin but it needed to have a much greater visual interest like the wood original. I believe I found that in the elegance of the green patina.
54” X 18” X 18”
Bronze
I have always loved the moment when music comes together in the strangest places and strangest times. The duet on the corner sung by the two most unlikely looking people. Just two people coming together to make magic with their voices. I wanted to create a big piece that could command a room or go outside and earn the attention of the viewer the way two great singers on a street corner get you to stop and pay attention. I wanted them to look completely different and so both the texture and the colours I used bear no resemblance to each other but somehow come together in the harmony of the piece.
29” X 12” X 5”
Bronze
‘Aria II' conjures up different images for different people. To some it is someone laughing, to others someone singing, and to someone who saw it the other day it reminded them of an alter boy in a cassock. Whatever your interpretation, the part I have come to love about this piece is the singleminded focus on the face. Since there is no body to speak of, the emotion and the intention need to be conveyed solely through the suggestion through shape. I find this work wonderfully simple and yet somehow complex enough to require constant revisiting.
27.5" x 7" x 5.5"
Bronze On Bronze
‘Making a Point’ was a returning fascination with the idea of people pointing and how you can’t help but pay attention to them or what they are pointing at. Using gross exaggeration I wanted to portray that feeling you had when you were 6 and wanting to be be heard how you would raise your hand so high your arm was practically coming out of its socket. But I wanted that feeling in an adult not a child and I wanted it to be a serious piece not a comical one. My goal was by using refined lines, simple gestures, and striking texture and patina I would be able to convey the feeling I intended.
37” x 16.5” x 17.5”
Bronze On Bronze
‘Sisters' shows the special bond that only sisters can have. I wanted to capture the confidence, the sense of security, and the "bring it on" feelings that that bond creates. This was a complex piece for me as the urge to put in more detail had to be fought at every turn. I wanted to convey that feeling by focusing on the style, the movement and the boldness of the gesture, not by the detail of the subjects.
45” X 12.5” X 13.5”
Bronze
‘Toe in the Water' was a recent winner in the 2021 Paint Ontario competition for sculpture. Using simple lines, gesture and exaggeration I wanted to convey the sense you would have when sitting on the dock and stretching to reach the water with your toe. I have always loved that image and tried to capture that meditative feeling that dipping your toe in the water brings on. Originally inspired by the best brief I was ever given, "bring Muskoka into my living room", 'Toe in the Water' transcends geography, language and culture as one of those magical moments in everyday life.
32” X 7.5” X 10”
Bronze
‘Toe in the Water' was a recent winner in the 2021 Paint Ontario competition for sculpture. Using simple lines, gesture and exaggeration I wanted to convey the sense you would have when sitting on the dock and stretching to reach the water with your toe. I have always loved that image and tried to capture that meditative feeling that dipping your toe in the water brings on. Originally inspired by the best brief I was ever given, "bring Muskoka into my living room", 'Toe in the Water' transcends geography, language and culture as one of those magical moments in everyday life.
45” x 22” x 19”
Bronze
‘Toe in the Water' was a recent winner in the 2021 Paint Ontario competition for sculpture. Using simple lines, gesture and exaggeration I wanted to convey the sense you would have when sitting on the dock and stretching to reach the water with your toe. I have always loved that image and tried to capture that meditative feeling that dipping your toe in the water brings on. Originally inspired by the best brief I was ever given, "bring Muskoka into my living room", 'Toe in the Water' transcends geography, language and culture as one of those magical moments in everyday life.
27” x 7.5” x 10”
Bronze On Bronze
‘Lakeshore Escape' was a finalist in 2021 Paint Ontario show for sculpture. Using texture, style and line I wanted to convey the feeling one has after a particularly bad day, when you kick off your shoes and walk barefoot along the beach in the water, and the restorative glow that you take on. Being constrained from using detail I have to communicate the story through body language and movement which forces a single-mindedness that doesn't come naturally to me.
23” x 7” x 5”
Bronze
‘Aria II' conjures up different images for different people. To some it is someone laughing, to others someone singing, and to someone who saw it the other day it reminded them of an alter boy in a cassock. Whatever your interpretation, the part I have come to love about this piece is the singleminded focus on the face. Since there is no body to speak of, the emotion and the intention needs to be conveyed solely through the suggestion through shape. I find this work wonderfully simple and yet somehow complex enough to require constant revisiting.
49” x 12” x 12”
Bronze on Bronze Base
‘Leaning Man' was inspired by a visit to the Giacometti retrospective with my favourite oldest kid. My takeaway from the show was that the face was key. The body was the frame meant to convey the character of the face but never distract from it. Hence lots of detail in the face but none in the body. In ‘Leaning Man’ my first piece of "outdoor work" I had to resist the use of detail to tell the story and focus on the attitude and gesture to communicate. The exaggerated leaning conveys the attitude of someone who is making up his mind about the situation, not quite judgemental, but more knowing. The face becomes the centre of attention, sets the stage and gives you all the backstory you need.
48” x 14” x 19”
Reclaimed plywood
‘Woman on a Dock' was done in honour of all the powerful women in my life. Made from a solid block of 48" x 14" x 20" laminated reclaimed plywood from a local construction site, this piece conveys the confidence, self assurance, and grace that a strong person has in a very simple moment. The different woods making up the laminate block add to the character and complexity of the work.
48” x 13” x 11”
Reclaimed plywood
‘Seated Man III' is made from a solid block of laminated reclaimed plywood. I have been working on this idea in multiple mediums since 1983. Inspired by some work I saw in the Luxor Museum from over 2,000 years ago I was struck by the simplicity of the piece and its ability to convey so much with just a hint of form. My first attempt was in soapstone, followed up a few years later in bronze. When I started working in reclaimed plywood I revisited this subject thinking the texture and colour of the plywood would add greatly to the telling of this story and I was not disappointed.
50¼” x 11” x 9½”
Reclaimed Plywood on Steel Plate
‘Hands in Pockets' has always been a favourite subject of mine. So many emotions from frustration to standoffishness to confidence can be expressed in this simple gesture. For this piece I wanted to capture that sense of being comfortable in one's own skin. In order to portray being at ease I had to reflect a casualness and calmness in the posture and lack of tension in the shoulders. Working with the imperfections in the laminate allowed for the colour and texture to help bring the gesture to life and add to the overall interest in the work.
12" x 10" x 10"
Bronze
I did the original ‘Seated Man’ in soapstone in 1982 or 1983. It was inspired by a piece I saw in the museum in Luxor in 1981. While it really bore no resemblance to what I ended up doing, the sculpture portrayed a person in a seated position that had no detail and used the subtlest of lines to define the shape. It was done in some sort of black stone and done some 3000 years before. When I returned from that trip I set about trying to do my version of a “seated man” in soapstone. While a beautiful medium, soapstone bruises if touched and I found myself constantly refinishing the work. I then made a mould of the soapstone piece and cast it in bronze in 1985. The bronze, to my surprise, gave the same luminescent finish as the soapstone but was far more substantive. The green patina was my first foray into using colour in my bronze work.
10” X 9.5” X 10.5”
Reclaimed Plywood
This is a theme I have revisited many times. It fascinates me as it feels like I want the sculpture to tell a story in as few lines as humanly possible. I have done this piece in stone, in bronze and now wood. Each medium brings something different to the party. The wood, I love, because it brings a richness and a softness to the piece that I can’t get in stone or bronze. The grain defines the piece in that it shapes so differently as you show the contour of the piece. Some pieces take on more a “thinking man” quality while others appear more meditative depending on the pose. The real beauty of the wood is the introduction of colour through the different hues of woods. The greens, reds, golds and browns all give each piece a different feel.
78" x 22" x 16"
Bronze on Steel or Bronze Base
‘Ocean' was my first foray into abstract. From styrofoam found on the rocks in front of my studio, I did not alter the shape at all. Originally there was a small hole towards one end which I enlarged and made resemble the holes you see in dockside logs on the ocean. I became intrigued with the idea of an "inside" and an "outside" and focused the outside being the shiny perfect surface that presents to the outside world while the "inside" was a molten mess struggling to get out. The shape and the texture were ideally suited to bronze and allowed for really bold patinas to bring the piece to life.