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A typical question I get from people about my sculptures is 'where do you get your ideas?' The most obvious place is myself....what I've been thinking about, something that's been troubling me, an insight I've had, observations I've had during the day, something I've read that has prompted something in me to want to represent , etc. etc. etc.  A piece I did a few years ago after one of our sons who came to live with us first as a foster child at 5 represented some frustrating years when he reached adulthood.  There were many times when I wanted to let him know what was really on my mind but I knew they would only make him angrier.  At the time I made a sculpture and when the clay was still somewhat soft and I started stamping words and phrases in the the surfaces of all the things I'd like to say to him but knew would not make matters any better. When completed I entitled the piece 'all the things I can not say out loud.'  Fast forward several years later I showed it at my studio and at a few shows.  People were curious about what the piece was about and when I gave them a short version of the idea it opened many conversations about hidden thoughts they had and what they'd really like to say out loud.  We have many common threads between us as human beings and one of those things are thoughts we hold close to us, keep protected and often don't speak of. This experience became an idea for a series of pieces to represent these thoughts so I wrote a project grant with the Iowa Arts Council recently.  It has been partially funded so during the 2024 and first part of 2025 I will be soliciting people to write down some of these hidden thoughts (anonymously of course) and submitting them to me to be used as inspiration for pieces of artwork for an exhibition after July of 2025.  

Would you be so kind as to fill out a questionnaire-type form and share a hidden thought of somehting you've alwasy wanted to say 'out loud?'  I would be forever grateful. Here is the link (select ‘link’) .

If you have more questions please email at: [email protected].  I would also like to talk with a group you're a member of and discuss the grant and developing ideas that help us express our thoughts and emotions into a pieces of artwork.  I would use this opportuniy to have them fill out a postcard regarding their hidden thoughts .  Again, you could contact me at the about email address.

Thank you