"King of Thugs", 2009

I'm sure it doesn't hurt to have some 'security' around the place when I'm out earning a living. I carved this mask to help keep myself warm in the studio during the chill of last Winter. The little demon was a piece I did many years ago and I have waited till now to give it a home and a narrative purpose...Sometimes ideas take a long time to be born.

Carved from White Cedar, with painted Pine figurine, approx 14"x8", weighing less than a pound, and preserved in used motor oil.

"Figure behind a chair", 2009

"For the girl with the hour-glass figure, time runs out very fast." (Billy Bragg)

Here is a small figure based on a sketch from the model. The woman is standing behind a wooden chair, guarding herself.There is a small crown on the chair, as if fallen or torn from her head. There is tension, strength and vulnerability all at once. Her identity is unknowable, as if shame and circumstance had made her no one and everyone. Maybe this is too much to expect of a figure, but I am surprised how complete an allegory emerged from the original drawing session.

The figure is approx. 32 inches tall, supported by a chair constructed of maple and pine.