This is a diptych, a pair of paintings––each 8” x 8” before framing––painted in sequence at the same site in Southern France.

AU-DESSUS DE VALENCE I:

My sister, Dawn, lives in the South of France, in the city of Valence. When I go to see her, we often paint together. One autumn afternoon, we went for a walk up to a plateau above her neighborhood, a few kilometers from the heart of town and a world away. The quiet farmland was a delightful discovery, as was the golden afternoon light as it began to caress the landscape. I had just begun painting on colored backgrounds and this day, I used an ochre-orange wash that triumphed both the beginning autumnal shift of the colors and the warmth of that sky as the sun began to descend. It also is one of very few paintings that I liked within minutes of beginning. It was and is a delightful surprise.

AU-DESSUS DE VALENCE II:

This is a companion piece to a painting done in the exact same spot, a plateau above my sister’s home in southern France. In the first one, I used a warm ground that illuminated the sunset and the changing hues of autumn. This time, I made a radical shift and used a black ground, creating a dramatic mood that is at once sun washed and uniquely dark. I like the strength and intensity here, bright hues with dark undertones. This painting was as much a surprise in its completion as it was in its inception. Sometimes, paintings just seem to come out of one’s brush as if called forth; it isn’t the artist at work but the art coming to life. This is one of those paintings.

Bronze, Approx. size 9″ H x 8″ W x 3 ” D

Once complete, the wax basket went through the lost wax process, making an investment, and hand-casting it in molten bronze. THEN I spent the prime of my life in the grinding room, cleaning up the raw casting, shaping and sanding and polishing it until the form was right. I used a liver of sulfur patina, followed by a hot wax––not a Brazilian hot wax––and a nap.

Approx. 7″ W x 6″ H x 5″ W

When I was in high school, for a calligraphy project in art class, I painted it on a small piece of slate for my mother. It sat on her kitchen window ledge for years, accompanying her through many moves and resting on nearly a dozen different window ledges, quietly reminding her of God’s faithfulness and gently calling her to hers. When she died, I was given it back; now it sits in my kitchen where I can see it every day.

I created this piece in memory of her.  It was built from three thick layers of wax sheet, laid one upon the other, with the negative spaces then carved out and peeled away. The lettering was created the same way. Then it was hand-cast in bronze, and a hand-cut sheet of amber mica was affixed to the back of each side. The patina is built up in many layers, sealed with special lacquer, and then hand waxed and buffed.

The original hangs in our home. Every day, I am reminded of the need to be quiet, to reflect and trust in God’s presence. I have kept that painted piece of slate to remind me, too; this is for you.

This same design has been created as a four-sided lantern, also viewable on this site.

Bronze, 28″ W x 11″ H x 1″ D, 28 lbs.

I’ve made Triumphant with three different patinas. The featured image shows her in silver on light ferric brown; the second is in ferric brown; a third exists (where IS that photo?) with her skirt in a shiny mélange of faux gold, copper and silver leaf, plus light ferric brown skin tones. These two views also show her from both sides, in close-up and in her vital totality.

Bronze, Approx. 9’H 4″ W x 3″ W

Honest.

Bronze, approx 7″ W x 7″ H x 4″ D

More story to come: for now, these tiny rabbits were made for my wife and given to her for Christmas on Christmas morning in Beijing in 2014.

They are less than 2″ high and hand-cast in pewter. I have since made a mold and make them in an open edition in Bronze. They are delightfully cuddled together, just as are she an I.

Bronze, 9″ H x 14″ W x 5″ D