These characters, created in cast stone, demonstrate the emotions and stories that lurk beneath the skin through the nearly lost art of the portrait bust. This body of work brings to life characters from my imagination inspired by experiences ranging from the everyday to the extra-ordinary. Some of these character busts are firmly rooted in accurate human anatomy, with stories and histories etched in the lines on their faces and the expressions they wear. Other characters stretch the rules and come from a place steeped in imagination rather than reality, a place that resides somewhere within my often unexplainable cerebral landscape. However, even these chimerical busts are placed firmly within the struggles, glories and injustices of the human condition. My earnest hope is that they encourage the viewer to consider stories of hardship, humor, and victory from their personal perspective in order to reflect on their own past and see these characters through their uniquely colored lens.

I feel that empathy is the great equalizer.