And now for something completely different

I was recently invited to participate in a group show at the Piedmont Virginia Community College here in Charlottesville. The theme of the show was "Alters." I came up with this piece sort of spur of the moment. These sort of conceptual pieces don't come naturally to me so it was a bit of a challenge to find a direction that contoured to the theme of the show while staying true to my own taste. The piece here titled "Empire" accomplished that dual goal. The piece, constructed of tin, brick, rope and various other materials was the final composition of many variations in the theme. The title came from the word "EMPIRE" that is stamped into the brick wrapped in rope. The metallic sphere that is resting on top of the brick was originally a toilet tank float. You can click on the image above for a close look.