I was looking for a hammer.
The art school metal workshop was a mess and instead of a hammer I came across a sheet of etched copper that had developed the most extraordinary patina since I had last used it for printing months earlier. From then on nothing was the same. It was as though this metal wedged itself in my soul and I couldn’t let go of it.
I want to plan things. I like to be in control. But this material, so willful and unpredictable, has captivated me since that day in the metal workshop nearly thirty years ago, compelling me to explore its possibilities and craving what the material might reveal next.
I etch and patinate copper, bronze and brass, and they urge me to push both their limits and my own. The metals frequently exasperate me – and then produce something so unexpected and so right that I forgive them everything. The make me fall in love with them repeatedly, and touch me deeply.
In the end, that’s what I hope my art will do. Touch you.
