May 1984. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 15 × 22 × 7 in (38 × 56 × 18 cm). Private Collection Bill Base NYC.
Incus reflects my long-standing interest in tools and implements as both sculptural forms and extensions of the hand. The title is Latin for “anvil,” and the broad granite slab resting on the compact steel structure suggests that familiar tool while reversing its traditional materials. Weight, balance, and the contrast between natural stone and industrial steel remain central to the work—concerns that would continue throughout my sculpture.
My interest in the anvil later developed beyond its function as a tool. As a metalworker, I came to see it as a place where things are physically and conceptually forged together—almost like an altar where the creative act occurs. This association eventually led to my Ara Series, named for the constellation Ara, whose Latin name means “altar,” extending the imagery of the anvil from a tool of physical transformation to a metaphor for the creative process.
May 1984. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 15 × 22 × 7 in (38 × 56 × 18 cm). Private Collection Bill Base NYC.
Incus reflects my long-standing interest in tools and implements as both sculptural forms and extensions of the hand. The title is Latin for “anvil,” and the broad granite slab resting on the compact steel structure suggests that familiar tool while reversing its traditional materials. Weight, balance, and the contrast between natural stone and industrial steel remain central to the work—concerns that would continue throughout my sculpture.
My interest in the anvil later developed beyond its function as a tool. As a metalworker, I came to see it as a place where things are physically and conceptually forged together—almost like an altar where the creative act occurs. This association eventually led to my Ara Series, named for the constellation Ara, whose Latin name means “altar,” extending the imagery of the anvil from a tool of physical transformation to a metaphor for the creative process.
