February 1988. painted granite, painted steel. Dimensions: 98 × 41 × 30 in (249 × 104 × 76 cm).
On the Edge I (Artist Passage) marks an early development of the vessel and passage imagery that would become increasingly important in my work. A large, rough-edged stone rises vertically from a steel base set on rollers, while a fabricated steel vessel at its top appears to lunge forward with animated, almost gestural energy. The juxtaposition of the massive, earthbound stone, the suggestion of mobility below, and the vessel poised precariously above creates a sense of movement, instability, and transition—a journey caught in progress.
The title turns the idea of passage toward the artist’s own journey—the continual movement through ideas, materials, discoveries, and uncertainties that accompanies a creative life. My use of the vessel grew partly from my early experience as a potter and from its longstanding role as a metaphor for the self and for passage from one state or place to another. Here, the vessel becomes both cargo and traveler, suggesting the artist carrying the accumulated weight of experience while moving forward into unknown territory—on the edge between what has been established and what is yet to be discovered. These ideas would later expand into the Portals and Passages works and other sculptures centered on journey, transition, and transformation.
February 1988. painted granite, painted steel. Dimensions: 98 × 41 × 30 in (249 × 104 × 76 cm).
On the Edge I (Artist Passage) marks an early development of the vessel and passage imagery that would become increasingly important in my work. A large, rough-edged stone rises vertically from a steel base set on rollers, while a fabricated steel vessel at its top appears to lunge forward with animated, almost gestural energy. The juxtaposition of the massive, earthbound stone, the suggestion of mobility below, and the vessel poised precariously above creates a sense of movement, instability, and transition—a journey caught in progress.
The title turns the idea of passage toward the artist’s own journey—the continual movement through ideas, materials, discoveries, and uncertainties that accompanies a creative life. My use of the vessel grew partly from my early experience as a potter and from its longstanding role as a metaphor for the self and for passage from one state or place to another. Here, the vessel becomes both cargo and traveler, suggesting the artist carrying the accumulated weight of experience while moving forward into unknown territory—on the edge between what has been established and what is yet to be discovered. These ideas would later expand into the Portals and Passages works and other sculptures centered on journey, transition, and transformation.
In Garden< Wells, NY
Poly chromed base element
stone in transport crate
