“In my teens, i met a sculptor who lived in my neighborhood on long island. john terken became my teacher and mentor for the next 10 years.
He taught me about the classical representation of the human form, how the body measured eight heads, how it was divided into hundreds of individual convex forms, how to use the measurements of those forms to create the total human figure. Contemplating these forms in isolation inspired the piece “NOSE”. It is a construction of familiar body parts in unfamiliar relationships that I hope inspires the viewer to contemplate them in new ways, just as I had.
A similar fascination inspired the piece “POPCORN”. I began studying each piece of popcorn before eating it, fascinated by how the simple kernels exploded into random shapes. For my sculpture, I selected a piece of popcorn that could stand on any side and thereby enable the viewer to see those shapes in multiple ways.
I created the piece “HEAR ME!” to get someone’s attention. I sent them a sculpture of my ear in a box in the hope they would call me, listen to my ideas, and hear what I had to say. The box was from a store my wife frequented and was the perfect size.
John Terken taught me how to see art and appreciate the innumerable ways of seeing. With my sculptures, I hope I can inspire that experience of seeing in others and honor John and the lessons he taught me.”
