Boulders Bay

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2012
mixed
24” x 15” x 14”

Boulders Bay is located in the Cape Peninsula near Cape Town, South Africa. The area comprises a number of small sheltered bays, partially enclosed by granite boulders that are 540 million years old.

A colony of African Penguins settled there in 1982. It is one of the few sites where this endangered bird can be observed at close range, wandering freely in a protected natural environment. From just two breeding pairs, the penguin colony has grown to about 3,000 in recent years.

Poet at the Waterfall

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2011
mixed
23" x 15" x 18"

This composition pays tribute to Asian scroll painting, an art form dating back thousands of years. In these paintings, mountains, streams, and waterfalls are common themes.* 

In this composition, water and mist cascade from the mouth of a cave near the top of the mountain island to a pool bordered by two companion islands. Low fog drifts across the surface of the water and over the edges of the tray. On the nearest island rests a miniature figure beneath a Ming fern growing on the island.

The Korean tray, a casting of 85% mica and graphite, was finished with a clear lacquer. Below the lip of the tray are the Chinese characters “shan" and "chuan" (mountains and streams).


*Richard Barnhart, James Cahill, Nie Chongzheng, Wu Hung, Lang Shaojun, and Yang Yin. (1997). Three Thousand Years of Chinese Painting. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

Passage at Haf'liua

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2013
mixed
24" x 15" x 16"

Haf’liua, also known as Split Island, is part of a chain of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about 400 miles north of the Republic of Fiji. 

Haf’liua was named for a perpendicular cleft, which the sea passes through, the vertical walls just a few yards apart. Caught between the walls is a large boulder, lodged there for all of recorded history. 

The polished Korean tray is a casting of 85% mica and graphite. 

Channel Passage through Morning Mist

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2013
mixed
23" x 15" x 14"

By splitting a single large stone along its strong vertical grain, this imaginary five-island grouping was created. A waterfall emerges from a cavern at the peak of the dominant mountain island and cascades into the lagoon enclosed by nearby islands. Mist boils out from the narrow chasm between the sheer rock walls. A lone fishing boat sails through the mist beneath foliage clinging to the rock face and island slopes. 

The Korean tray, a casting of 85% mica and graphite, was hand-rubbed and waxed, but otherwise left unfinished. The Chinese characters at the right corner of the tray are the Chinese characters for “shan” (mountains) and “chuan” (streams).

Canaima Lagoon

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2008
mixed
23” x 12” x 13”

This imaginary island lagoon was inspired by Venezuela’s Canaima National Park, the location of Angel Falls, the highest waterfall in the world. The falls originate from a cleft near the summit of Auyantepui, the most famous of the tepuis, sandstone mountains dating back to a time when South America and Africa were part of a super-continent.

The cleft for the waterfall in this sculpture was created in a large feather rock to produce a cascade of mist, created by a miniature pump and ultrasonic mister. A ceramic crane views these falls from a nearby rock. 

The tray was fabricated of recycled Corian material. The inscribed characters at the right corner of the tray are the Chinese characters for “shan” (mountains) and “chuan” (streams).

Karst Islands of the Yulong River

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2009
mixed
23” x 15” x 13”

Karst is a special type of landscape that is formed by the dissolution of soluble rocks, such as limestone. Some of the most beautiful of these formations are along the Yulong River near Yangshuo in southeastern China. Caves and springs, such as those in this composition, are typical of karst regions.

Splitting of a large feather rock released the sharp, upright shapes typical of karst formations, inspiring this composition. The tray was fabricated of recycled Corian material and highly polished. The inscribed characters at the lower right corner are the Chinese characters for “shan” (mountains) and “chuan” (streams).

Lion's Mouth

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2013
mixed
24" x 15" x 16"

Ha Long Bay, on the northeastern coast of Vietnam, is a tropical evergreen and sea shore biosystem. Erosion near the waterline, typical of the bay’s thousands of monolithic islands, is caused by algae in the limestone. Several of the islands are hollow, with enormous caves. 

In this imaginary scene, a lone fishing boat sails toward the island group, dominated by the cave in the main island. An ultrasonic mister inside the cave simulates the morning fog that draws so many tourists to Ha Long Bay.

The Korean tray, a casting of 85% mica and graphite, was hand-rubbed and waxed, but otherwise left unfinished. At the right corner of the tray are the Chinese characters for “shan” (mountains) and “chuan” (streams).

Under the Full Winter Moon

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2012
mixed
36" x 21" x 3"

Chinese landscape painting developed and flourished in the Tang and Song dynasties (618 -1279 AD).* This shadowbox composition reflects some of the compositional techniques employed by artists of the period. 

Live plants and rough stone in the foreground overlay smoother shaved layers of feather rock, receding to a distant snow-capped mountain range. A recessed grow lamp accentuates the surface textures and facilitates plant growth, allowing this composition to be hung on any wall, irrespective of available sunlight.

Lee. S. E. (2003 ). A History of Far Eastern Art, 5th Edition. Prentice-Hall. p. 302.

Spring Fishing at a Mountain Lake

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2014
mixed
35" x 22" x 4"

Chinese landscape painting developed and flourished in the Tang and Song dynasties (618 -1279 AD).* This shadowbox composition reflects some of the techniques employed by artists of the period to depict panoramas of real and imaginary settings. 

The elevated viewpoint of the foreground of rough-hewn stone, miniature figures, and live plants leads the eye into the composition, toward smaller fragments and shaved layers of feather rock in the medium distance, receding to snow-covered slopes in the far distance. 

A recessed fluorescent grow lamp accentuates the surface textures and facilitates plant growth, allowing this composition to be located on any wall, irrespective of available sunlight. Surrounding the composition is a frame of unfinished strand bamboo.

Lee. S. E. (2003 ). A History of Far Eastern Art, 5th Edition. Prentice-Hall. p. 302.