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).