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January 1974. Marble. Dimensions: @4”h x16”w x6”d Private collection.
Vertical Series #3, 1974
Vertical Series #3 continues my early exploration of vertical form and the relationship between positive and negative space. Created while I was an undergraduate at Kent State, the work reflects the influence of Jean Arp, Henry Moore, and particularly Constantin Brancusi’s Bird in Space. Two elongated marble elements create a narrow, active space between them. Their flowing contours also recall my longtime involvement with skiing and racing—the clean tracks of a well-carved turn through snow and the sensations of balance, speed, and controlled movement.
I retained much of the geometry of the original quarry blocks, reflecting both Brancusi’s respect for the stone and my growing awareness of the Minimalist aesthetic of the 1960s and ’70s that was prevalent at Kent —an approach I later affectionately called “Midwest minimalism.” The work brings these influences together while developing an idea that would remain important in my sculpture: using the space between separate elements as an active sculptural form.
January 1974. Marble. Dimensions: @4”h x16”w x6”d Private collection.
Vertical Series #3, 1974
Vertical Series #3 continues my early exploration of vertical form and the relationship between positive and negative space. Created while I was an undergraduate at Kent State, the work reflects the influence of Jean Arp, Henry Moore, and particularly Constantin Brancusi’s Bird in Space. Two elongated marble elements create a narrow, active space between them. Their flowing contours also recall my longtime involvement with skiing and racing—the clean tracks of a well-carved turn through snow and the sensations of balance, speed, and controlled movement.
I retained much of the geometry of the original quarry blocks, reflecting both Brancusi’s respect for the stone and my growing awareness of the Minimalist aesthetic of the 1960s and ’70s that was prevalent at Kent —an approach I later affectionately called “Midwest minimalism.” The work brings these influences together while developing an idea that would remain important in my sculpture: using the space between separate elements as an active sculptural form.