About

I first became interested in sculpture in high school; I would sit outdoors at Stanford University’s Cantor Arts center and practice drawing the bronze Rodin sculptures in their garden.As an undergraduate I enrolled in metal sculpture classes at San Jose State University’s Art Foundry. Here is where I learned the mechanics of bronze and aluminum casting, and where I began experimenting with different materials and ideas. While playing around with strands of synthetic gating wax, I realized I could hand-model small human figures using only a soldering iron, some simple carving tools, and my own fingers.The technique I use to fabricate my sculptures is called cire perdue or “lost-wax.” It is one of the oldest methods of fabricating bronze objects, particularly small pieces with complex shapes. I work directly in wax, imposing the image in my mind onto the piece of ephemeral organic matter, and then when it is cast, transforming it into a beautiful, unique work of metallic art that can potentially last for thousands of years.To this day, my methods have not changed much, although I now use traditional beeswax, and a wider assortment of carving and detailing implements, mostly repurposed dental tools. My primary tools are still my fingers.I often draw on themes from Greco-Roman mythology and the Bible, but world events and my emotional reaction to them also find their way in as well. My work sometimes veers towards the fantastical, and are manifestations of my own imagination. I want my viewers to experience my work from a similar place, so I try not to impose too much meaning or over-explain my work too deeply in order to preserve the sense of mystery. After all, discovery and wonder are also materials from which art can be formed.My work has been previously exhibited at Blitzer Gallery in Santa Cruz, CA, from September 1 to September 30, 2017.‍