DESIGN PROCESS
'beacon within' sculpture

For each new project I  form a conceptual approach based on some essential quality derived from an initial client meeting. A sculptural idea then emerges in my 'minds eye' as an abstract image. From there, variations of this idea begin to take shape while hand sketching, then rendered three-dimensionally in a computer modeling program Rhino.  This computer-generated process is instrumental in visualizing the forms and configuring a fabrication approach. The resulting illustrations offer the client design options, as well as a close approximation of what they can expect to see in the finished piece.

FABRICATION PROCESS
'beacon within' sculpture

For this particular project, the modular honeycomb-shaped steel units are plasma-cut with a high-tech CNC machine. The raw steel is then cleaned up, machine rolled, cut and formed into the desired shape and welded in place. Though this typical process is quite labor intensive, it is very gratifying. Once fabrication is complete, the steel is usually sandblasted prior to being rusted and sealed. If the finish treatment involves metal plating, then the steel is further cleaned and polished to provide a quality reflective surface.