A Whisper Over The waters
basswood, Acrylic
2020
“A Whisper Over the Waters” is inspired by the hope found in the ancient sculpture “The Winged Victory of Samothrace” - a Hellenistic image of Nike. This sculpture would have been mounted to the bow of messenger ships, delivering news of victory back to seaside towns. Positioned at the front of the ship, it faced an incredible amount of wind and waves as it made its way to the shore where people eagerly waited for good news.
This sculpture, despite the weathering it has seemingly faced, steps into the storm to offer up the presence of hope.
making "a whisper over the waters"
lamination
I laminated the pieces horizontally, rather than vertically, reflecting the weathering that would have been experienced by the initial source material, "The Winged Victory of Samothrace". This horozontal movement replicates that harsh weathering that comes from stepping head on into the wind and water of the sea.
chainsaw
This sculpture begain as a rough form created with a chainsaw. The gesture for this work needed to be balanced, while still giving a sense of forward movement.
carving
This sculpture, which was the genesis for "Weathered Patterns", was the first piece I created while considering classical realism. With everything closed as a result of the pandemic, I invested significant time slowing down and engaging with the figure.
