Muligan

Recently I have been experimenting with a lot of polished surfaced images. I felt the need, in this piece, to delve back into the more textural qualities that first interested me in the medium of cement. Most of my earlier works were all about the three dimensional capabilities of this medium. Textured surfaces occupied the majority of my designs. Then I began to experiment with the techniques used for polishing cement, I was swept away, learning about this new capability. Cement could take on the look of translucent glass, polished stone or the buffed appearance of ivory or bone. Mastery of this skill occupied the creation of many new works. Each new piece taught me more than the one before, until finally, I felt I had a good grasp of this technique. At this point, I feel it may be the time to try to integrate both surfaces into my work.

In "Muligan" I created a textured ground in which polished surfaces could be imbedded. I have to be concerned about weight, so I keep everything as thin as possible. The work becomes a kind of assemblage, as opposed to being created all in one piece. This opens up playful opportunities to move things around and mix and match, to find pleasing combinations.

As an added benefit, I am able to recycle parts of failed images that I have broken apart, that were otherwise headed for the trash heap.

"Muligan" 36"x 24" polished pigmented cement on panel