Artistic Philosophy and the Sculptural Process

Artistic Philosophy. As a figurative artist, I try to capture the essential character and energy of the subject.

For me the process of figurative art is to imbue the abstract elements (the stuff we’re really working with: lines, shape, volumes, textures…) with emotional qualities—strength, joy, tenderness, bravado, etc.—that express the character of the subject matter.

When I first began studying the figure and creating figurative art, I realized that we are never really interested in just the figure; what we are interested in when we walk in a room or walk down the street is what the other people are up to.

Our immediate response is to wonder if they are sleepy, angry, withdrawn, open and looking for a conversation, restless with energy, etc. And I believe this is what we are concerned with when we come to art—I know that is what I am concerned with. I believe we are not interested that Rembrandt painted a man whose measurements were just as he depicted; we’re responsive to the character of the man and the character of Rembrandt who painted the work, and the dexterity with which he painted it.