Artist Statement

"Necessity is the mother of invention," and, in my case, the genesis of my art. In 1994, I sat in my workshop tinkering with an invention made of plastic, when I realized that I needed a steady low flame to repeatedly light a small propane torch to heat and shape my materials. The wax candles in my workshop did not suffice. I fashioned an oil candle from an old Campbell's soup can and copper wire, using a torn piece of cotton T-shirt for a wick. The sturdy design and steady flame worked well. I derived great satisfaction from designing something functional from fond objects. My art was born.

New opportunities soon inspired me to transform my first candle design into something with greater artistic appeal - there by affirming art and function; function and art. An electrician by trade, I had access to mountains of scrap metal. While volunteer teaching at a high school metal shop, I began cutting, bending, and polishing the material, incorporating what I learned into teaching my students. Spatially, looking at it as art, I could see how each oddly shaped, dull piece of metal could be reborn into something entirely different but wholly beautiful.

Though my candles are engineered, functional pieces, it's their simplicity of form that makes them artistic works. Each candle is a small piece of sculpture mimicking elements found in nature; twisted roots, animals and clouds. My process inspires me as well. It constantly kindles my passion for creating new art with function.