For awhile now, I have been somewhat frustrated that my approach to painting my sculptures was not accomplishing the aesthetic originality I wanted. I had either painted the sculpture one defining color, or painted various colors relative to the various forms. Though these approaches did facilitate the affect of an "Organic Entity", I felt that there was a more self-expressive approach that I should achieve - one possibly similar to the unique self-expression I had evolved in doing my Pencil Comps, and then the sculpting, itself.

By way of explanation - When I began to do my Pencil Comps right after graduating from college, I was initially influenced by the concepts and aesthetics of Bruce Goff and that of the Univ. of Oklahoma. But as I continued to do them, I gradually evolved my own distinct aesthetic. This can be seen in my fourth pencil comp, "Organic Form Flow", which then culminated with "The Abyss". My personal aesthetic became defined by a "constantly creating lyrical flow of form that was both sensual and harmonious".

I was then able to translate this aesthetic into 3-dimensional form when I began sculpting. But besides a constantly creating lyrical flow of 3-dim. form, I also wanted the sculptures to have a developed aesthetic that included color and texture, with the intent that the combined elements create the affect of an "Organic Entity" - like all things in nature. The painting aspect, itself, however, merely added color to form and lacked its own creative originality - it was not expressive of my unique aesthetic potential. Nevertheless, I was initially satisfied with this approach because it did help facilitate unique aesthetic identities for each sculpture.

Finally, starting with the first of the sculptures that follow, I discovered that by creating gradations of value and color, I was able to paint in a "point by point development", which is the same approach as both the pencil comps and the sculpting. Thus my sculptures can now be a "constantly creating lyrical flow of form and color ".

Besides that, what this aesthetic evolution also allows me to achieve is my long desired concept of freeing the color aspect of the sculpture from its form aspect. Now the painting of the forms does not just add color to form, but becomes a self-sufficient artistic expression, in and of itself. The sculpture is now a combination of 3-dimensional forms covered by 2-dimensional forms that, at times, also appear to have a 3-dimensional depth. The results are complex interrelationships of form and color.

I've always considered my concept of creating "Organic Entities" original, but I also felt it was somewhat influenced by Bruce Goff's ideas. By finding this new approach to the colorization of my sculptures, I feel that the concept, as well as the resulting aesthetics, have now evolved into being a more definitive statement of my unique aesthetic proclivities. In a sense, the concept now evolves from one of creating "Organic Entities" to one of creating a more intrinsic "Aesthetic Self-Expression".