A R T I S T   S T A T E M E N T

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My first thoughts about sculpture occurred when I was about 6 or 7.

I was told the myth about Terah’s son, the prophet Abraham, smashing his father’s statues to bits because they were being worshipped as deities, and The One True God did not approve of sculptured gods or their worship.

I felt terrible for Terah and was furious at Abraham. Why would he destroy his father’s work? God seemed both harsh and petty to me. It was a strangely prescient concern for sculpture that occurred 20 years before I took it up as an adult.

My first sculpture class at Otis Art Institute was taught by Pegot Waring, a renowned sculptor who became a lifelong friend and mentor. I have been carving stone ever since and enjoying it enormously. The resistance of stone suits my temperament exceptionally well. I love the sensuousness and the physicality of it. Striking the chisel with the mallet and hearing the sound stone makes when it splits always delights me.

My first carvings were expressionistic. I was influenced by German Expressionism and other artists I admired, such as Goya, Kathe Kollwitz, Nolde, and Rouault. My forms became more and more abstract as time passed, which you can see in Sibling Arches, Wave, and Black Moon.

Eventually, figurative elements such as stylized faces and animals reappeared in combination with abstract concepts, leading to Eve in the Mirror, Moon Goddess, and others.

I have continued carving in much the same manner, combining figurative with abstract form and taking inspiration from whatever forms catch my interest.

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B E A   M E G O

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