"New Glass Installation Series - Spring 2008"

"The new series is based on my glass on steel and glass casting series. I wanted to come up with a way of using a steel mold over which molten glass would be dragged to form interesting shapes conveying motion and energy. I began experimenting with this new concept at Urban Glass approximately two years ago. In 2008, Tsing Hua University in Beijing invited me to use the facilities of a glass blowing factory in Shandong Province to finally create sculptures utilizing this new experimental technique. I accepted and, accompanied by Professor Wang, the head of the Glass and Ceramics Department at Tsing Hua, as well as the vice-chairman of the Glass and Ceramic's Professional Group throughout China, we went to Bashon in Shandong Province in May 2008." (...)
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It was not worth a fight and I wanted to focus on cleaning up the glass casts that were done for me by the students at Tsing Hua University last year, which Li Gang had delivered to me that morning. They came out different than I expected. It is painstaking detail work and must be done carefully because glass is very fragile. My model had many undercuts. Eventually I found that a brush used to clean dishes with water, along with some thin but strong wire for the very hard to get to places, which seemed to work the best.. (...)"
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THE CHINA DIARY: An Artist in Residence
Both sculptures would have the American flag on the left and the Chinese flag on the right. In between one of the sculptures, "The Journey" would be my English /Chinese calligraphy of the Tao proverb "A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. (...)"

"The idea for this series came from a school project for my nine-year-old granddaughter, Hannah. The project taught children what each of the elements of United States flag represents. Red symbolizes hardiness and valor. White symbolizes purity and innocence. The surface of the steel was ground so that the purity and innocence of the steel would show through. (...)"

"I have always wanted to combine steel and glass. Also, I have always been fascinated by the sea and how looking through water distorts the coral and sea creatures. Since I am an avid scuba diver I realize that I see underwater life through the distortions of water. These distortions are magnified for the snorkeler and surface viewer. (...)"

This series is a continuation and modification of my previous Sea Pinnacle series. Kelp flourishes off the California coast and is probably the fastest-growing marine plant.  I have combined  the texture of the coral used in the Sea Pinnacle series with the feeling of rapid growth of kelp to create a true hybrid.  (...)"

"The inspiration for the sea pinnacle series comes from a dive off the Father Islands in Papua New Guinea. These uninhabited islands are extremely remote; it takes a boat two days to reach them from Rabul. In the surrounding waters, huge pinnacles come up from a depth of 6000 feet below sea level to within five to ten feet of the ocean's surface. (...)"

"In 2003 I began to experiment with joining melted glass and steel to form integrated units. For many years I had wanted to combine the two mediums into one. So I developed a technique that would melt the glass directly into the steel. (...)"

Sea Computer
The sea fan is the "underwater computer" relied on by scuba divers throughout the world. On my initial descent, I try to locate a sea fan or group of sea fans to determine the direction and strength of the current. My diving buddy and I then begin the dive by going against the current. (...)

When fishermen use cyanide and dynamite to destroy a reef, mankind is making a choice.
The base of this sculpture, which is on an area of 2' x 2' square demonstrates the harmonious relationship between the coral, the reef and the fish. The coral and reef elements are movable. In this way the viewer can change the relationships. (...)