Chacmool, bronze 2005
AfterMoore
Forty years ago, when I began carving stone, I looked to modernists like Arp, Brancusi and Moore for inspiration. My primary enthusiasm, though, was for the reclining figures of Henry Moore. I loved the way the simple forms were enhanced by the judicious use of voids, distortion and deconstruction.
Although Moore and other modernists have continued to inform aspects of my work, my attempts to bend light and shadow with refined surfaces and sensual shapes increasingly draws from my own imagination and how I internalize nature. Until this series, the most direct association Moore had on my work was a sculpture I exhibited at the 2005 Venice Biennale called Chacmool, after the Toltec-Mayan rain gods who were a primary inspiration for Moore’s recumbent figures.
Confined to working quietly at home during the pandemic, I took time to study how Moore’s work evolved during his long career. Concentrating on his reclining figures, I gained a new appreciation for the way his use of voids extended the visual nourishment one experiences by viewing his forms from varying perspectives. This discovery encouraged me to see if I could fit some of Moore’s classic poses into my personal style. Although my castings have traditionally been finished with smooth surfaces, I felt that retaining minor tool marks and small blemishes often found in carved maquettes seemed in keeping with my inspiration.
