New York City

Hydrostone, cast, 2021

Obverse: NY skyline w/ watertower

The New York City medal was designed with my NY brother in mind. Whenever I visit, we walk for hours, and our goal is to eventually cross every bridge and view as many water towers as possible. Each water tower has its own style, materials, height, and form. In this piece I exaggerated the water tower, based on one in Brooklyn, and minimized the skyline and bridge. I started with an architecturally accurate skyline, but clay and the eye both like to wander and after I cast it, I realized I had taken some liberties with the skyline both in placement of the buildings and their design. It is cast in hydrostone. I like the cold heaviness of it.

Refranta

Resin, cast, 2021

Obverse: Male portrait

Refrenata is the Latin word for repression. I tried to sculpt that emotion as well as ‘repress’ the work into a near flat form so only the shallow depressions indicated form. My first cast was in plaster and even with a patina, it didn’t convey the loneliness or the feeling of being an outsider that I was looking for. After I cast it in resin, I realized it looked better on the reverse, a completely flat shape, with all the form seemingly trapped inside; truly repressed. The obverse, with its dusty look still captures the emotion, but in a very different way.