Artist Highlight

I started experimenting with cement long before it became the trendy thing to do. To paraphrase an old country song "I was concrete when concrete wasn't cool". I love trying to expand the boundaries of concrete and see what I can get away with (my fellow concrete artists know exactly what I mean). If I do the right things then beautiful mysterious stone is formed--if I go too far I have created a crumbling mess. For some strange reason I find it all very entertaining.

One of my goals is to show that concrete is not just for sidewalks and countertops -- it can take the form of so many unique and beautiful shapes, textures and colors. The pieces that I create are produced in many different ways, because half the fun of any artistic endeavor is experimenting and making new discoveries after trial and error. At least once a day, I think to myself, "what would happen if I...."  And so some of these sculptures are produced by pushing concrete into various molds (glass, plastic, cardboard, etc) or by carving and chiseling a semi-hardened concrete block, or perhaps layering cement over a wire armature. I then incorporate acid stains, colored sand, found objects, or even live plants to the mix. I usually start out with a drawing or idea in mind and then end up with something completely different from my original plan. The possibilities with concrete are endless and exciting. This experimentation and discovery is what inspires me everyday, and hopefully will inspire others to see the beauty that can be created from a simple grey powder and some sand.