EMERGENCE

Alabaster

4 3/4" x 9 1/4" x 1 3/4"

My first work in stone, this sculpture was produced during formal study in 1999. The shape of the stone in its rough state influenced me to create something with a prehistoric feel. In the beginning, I was unsure what that would be. Then, remembering a photograph from a geology textbook of a bird fossil, I decided this would be my subject. Only, my bird would appear to be revived and emerging from the fossil state, attempting to free itself from the stone. Once the work was begun, it evolved through a combination of determination and forces beyond my control, into the final work. Originally, the head was to be less tilted, but during the carving process, a large piece broke off at a fault line, forcing a change of plan. Only in one direction, then, was there enough stone to get the full length of the beak. I worked with this "happy accident" and the result was a much more dramatic effect than my original plan would have produced. The original rough outer shape of the stone remains almost entirely unchanged.