Artist's Statement

I am trained as a painter, self-taught in wood and have been drawing since age four. I am probably best known for my sculptural objects; fantasy machines, allegorical constructions and miniaturized shrines celebrating such hugely significant subjects as fly fishing and the delights of Italian cuisine. I have also made and exhibited many furniture pieces, some in collaboration with my wife, the porcelain artist Mara Superior. Recently, I have begun to incorporate egg-tempera painting into my constructions and I continue to make drawings, most of which are inspired by our residencies and travels in Italy.

One day, while trapped in my wife’s studio, I picked up one of her blank platters and started to draw. Painting on porcelain in traditional cobalt blue is an entirely new venture for me and I am very excited about the possibilities this new medium holds as a vehicle for my drawings. A bonus is that I don’t have to be bothered with technical ceramics issues: throwing, firing, etc.—it’s all done for me, all I have to do is make the images, giving me more time to fish. As a terminally addicted angler, I love the opportunity to express my piscatorial passion—pictorially.