All the drawings here were done as studies in form for the paper pieces that would come later. The process was to completely black out a piece of paper with charcoal and then erase out the image. It was allot like carving in three dimensions but simpler. It was a great way to design a form that I could build out of harder materials like steel strips and hardware cloth later.  It was also a way to explore the way I could stylize the image and to work out the details in a simpler material.

I had allot of these drawings in New York in 1985, and I was making pieces out of all kinds of paper: Bible pages, dollar bills, encyclopedias, children’s book pages, and more. My good friend, James Benning came by for a visit, and said they looked like they should be in metal. After his suggestion I took these to Harry Geffert in Crowley Texas and began to learn bronze casting.  A year or two later I had the great opportunity to be in the Arts Industry Program of the Kohler Company and cast in iron. My great friend Ruth Kohler facilitated this through the John Michael Kohler Art Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. I will always be grateful to both Harry Geffert and Ruth Kohler for helping me open these avenues in bronze and iron for my work.