Wine Lovers Collection >

The story behind each sculpture

“Adam, Eve and the Evidence” brings us to our famous couple in Eden. How could Eden be perfect without a bottle of wine? What was the fruit on the tree of knowledge of good and evil? Was it an apple or a grape? In any case, Adam and Eve are caught with the goods, just as we are so often today. Although this sculpture is a light-hearted treatment of this topic, it’s comforting to know that God has a plan for all of us if we connect with Him in obedience and trust.

This sculpture actually started in the upright position. However, the weight of the two bottles and the heat of a particularly hot summer day combined to make the figure, then modeling clay, slump forward. It turned out to be the perfect position, evoking the feeling of the figure reaching out to another person. Often my best work is 10% planning and 90% experimentation and accidents. The key is maintaining a free-flowing attitude so you can embrace these “mistakes” for the gifts that they become.

After making several sculptures incorporating wine glasses integrated with the figure standing, I felt a strong urge to set those sculptures so the glass was standing upright and the human figure was off the ground. I think our minds yearn to set familiar objects in their natural position.

“Comfort Zone” came after I had explored the positioning of whole bottles in uncountable different ways. Eventually, the thought of breaking or cutting a bottle to get inside began to intrigue me. With a diamond cut-off blade in hand, I learned glass cutting to get just the angle cut I was after. I tried simply breaking the bottles but that didn’t work too well. Many bottles later, I learned the process and was able to sculpt “Comfort Zone”.

“Dedicated” is the first sculpture in the “Wine Lovers Series” to incorporate a wine glass instead of a wine bottle. After exploring the endless potential of wine bottles in this series, I took a long look at the gorgeous shape of the glass and saw a new world to discover. The sloping curves of the glass, narrowing to the thin line of the stem, was the perfect inspiration. Unfortunately, a wine glass is much more delicate than a wine bottle. After gripping the glass too tightly and ending up with a broken glass and a bloody hand, I learned to sculpt with a gentle touch.

In an early, Persian-inspired poem, Ralph Waldo Emerson famously wrote, "Give me wine to wash me clean of the weather-stains of care.” The daily grind of life places burdens on all of us. Even in my own blessed existence, I sometimes feel the weight of the world. Yet, inspired by Emerson, a little wine and a right attitude can wash away these feelings. This sculpture, even though sorrowful at first glance, hopefully inspires you to endure and overcome your own struggles.

“Head Over Heels” is one of the most satisfying sculptures that I have created. I love the simple flow of the body over the bottle. Sometimes I fret over a sculpture for months, unhappy with how it comes together. “Head over Heels” was sculpted in a few days and, fortunately, I was disciplined enough to leave it alone. A simple design is the best way to create beauty. I started this work with the desire of capturing the feeling of being all wrapped up in something. The approach I took came so easily and was so satisfying, I was almost surprised. With poetry, fine wine and art, simple elegance draws you in and eventually leads you to many subtle treasures within.

This was a technically difficult sculpture to create. I usually start with an armature (metal skeleton or framework) and build a bulk of clay around it. With “Inner Beauty” I had to construct the thin jacket apart from the armature. Every time I worked it, it became distorted. Ultimately, I used a series of thin wires to give the jacket enough substance to hold up to sculpting. Also, creating the illusion of stretching on the back of the jacket was a challenge. I had my daughter take pictures of me in a jacket in this position so I could see the folds.

"The Last Drop" is my first sculpture with a curved wine bottle. As I sculpted before, adding clay around actual wine bottles, I kept having the desire to bend the bottle to make it more interesting. With this sculpture, I created my own curved bottle and was pleased with the results. Although this approach sacrifices the perfect symmetry and smooth surface of a glass bottle, it opens up endless possibilities in terms of shapes and designs, providing an opportunity to add surface design to the bottle, creating more interest for the eye.

This sculpture was inspired by my talented piano-playing wife who is the keeper of the musical gifts in our family. When she plays her favorite compositions, the music reverberates throughout our home giving me a deep sense that all is well in our family. It’s the example of her musical artistry, plus her love and unending support, which have given me the courage to pursue my passion for art. So this sculpture is dedicated to her, and on a broader scale, to all those who love music. May you appreciate and enjoy this sculpture.

“Quest” is a tribute to those winemakers who strive for perfection. They, like artists, are in a perpetual search for the right combination of innumerable variables, which create mind-boggling complexity, to arrive at a unique seemingly-simple pleasing solution.

The actual sculpture was created by cutting a circular whole in a wine bottle and inserting a master lock. This was the lock that I bought to secure my locker for my first college art classes. It’s fitting that this lock would become enshrined in a bronze sculpture.

Reflections was actually the first sculpture in the series, and the one that I spent the most time sculpting, going through many iterations. It was important to get the bulk of the bottle forward to be central focus of the figure's gaze, while keeping enough protruding from the back to have the through-the-body effect. Also, this sculpture didn’t start with the signature jacket and bowtie; however, I felt the need to class him up a bit and liked the look of the jacket draped over the bottle. I fell in love with this look and have carried it forward to most of the sculptures in this series.

Often the simplest sculptures are the most difficult to construct. The figure initially had arms in various positions; around the bottles, supporting the bottles from below, and even arms protruding through the bottles. Eventually, I realized that the figure didn’t need arms at all. Instead the bottles themselves give the sculpture a powerful sense of weight and balance.

"Taking Off" is the second sculpture that incorporates a curved bottle, allowing me to express the energy and movement that I was seeking. The curved bottle also enabled me to engrave the bottle which I was excited to do. It’s like a painter discovering a new canvas. After exploring many options, I fell in love with the arrow designs. They remind us of finding our way. But, as the arrows point in all different directions, finding your way, like life, is all about the journey rather than the destination.

I created this sculpture as a counter-point to the sculpture "Are You Dining Alone?", which also has a figure also carrying two bottles but with a gentler and inviting sensibility. I've always admired people who are naturally bold and gregarious, so it was fun to create the broad-shouldered foot-forward character in this sculpture. With this attitude, he certainly won't have to go far to find the fun that he's looking for!

This is the first of a series of sculptures that I intend to make that are dedicated to famous pioneers in wine making. After checking out a book a nearby library, I read with fascination of the life of Paul Masson, a Frenchman from Burgundy, who came to California in 1878. By 1892 Masson's first champagne was introduced leading to his eventual unofficial title as "Champagne King of California." Suffering through earthquakes, diseases attacking his grapes and even earthquakes, his historic leadership inspires us no matter which industry we engage in. Known as a lavish entertainer, Masson was quick to uncork a bottle to make a guest feel welcome; hence, the first of the “uncorked” sculptures.

Pliny The Elder [Quote on bottom of shoe]

Just to set the record straight, you shouldn’t worship wine. With that said, there’s a certain amount of “truth” that can be derived from the fermented grape. One can find out who your friends are, who wants to spend time with you, relax and get to know you over a bottle of wine. Offering up a cork (with bottle to follow!) for friendship is one of the most truthful things we can do.

Notice the rounded derrieres on these figures. This is not intended to offend anyone; rather, this is the shape of those truly enjoying a full life, not skimping on an extra serving or a rich dessert. Although I personally struggle to keep the laissez-faire attitude in real life, it’s much easier to have my sculptured figures throw caution to the wind. The added benefit to the full figure is that the body shape approximates the shape of the bottles, creating a pleasing sense of balance to the sculpture.

This work originally started with only the man in the broken wine bottle. Fitting him inside a bottle was rewarding in itself but the resulting sculpture felt incomplete. Only after adding the broken wine glass and the lady lover’s face did the sculpture become multi-dimensionally interesting. At first, I tried to sculpt a full female figure in, on or draped over the broken wine glass. I even tried to have the lady's head and hair hanging off the top of the glass and the legs dangling off of the bottom. However, once I put the lady in high relief on the wine glass, she became interesting, mysterious and a clear object of the man's longings.

Ovid [Quote on base of bottle]

Wine is a wonderful inducement for romance. As is the spirit with all of the “Wine Lovers”, the shared loved of wine is what connects two people. Here he’s literally lifting her off of her feet with his favorite wine. This sculpture achieves a very pleasing sense of balance and symmetry with both the lips and shoes lined up with each other. Notice also that this isn’t a young couple, rather baby boomers, old enough to appreciate the finer things in life but not too old for a bit of romance.

One of the joys of being an artist is the freedom to play. I love to take whatever is in my studio and use it in an unexpected way. I created these wine lovers, pleased with the way their legs intertwined, but felt they needed more. Having some broken top-halves of wine bottles lying around after abandoning a different sculpture, I just plopped them on the heads of the wine lovers. All of a sudden you can see what was on their minds. And they were even more connected, sharing thoughts of their affection for wine.

Notice that this sculpture is only my second in the series where a character does not wear shoes. “Adam, Eve and the Evidence” doesn’t have shoes because they were not yet invented. In “Wine Lovers IV”, as much as I love sculpting shoes, I just couldn’t put them on the lady because she’s snuggling her feet right up against her lover.

Samuel Johnson [Quote on base of bottle]

As I created “Wine Speak”, right away I knew that the sculpture worked on multiple levels of meaning. First, we all must admit that wine lubricates the mind, sometimes a little, and occasionally a little more than we wish. Our “wine speak” may not be our most articulate pronouncements; however, it may reveal a little more of our hearts, and in the process laying another brick on the foundation of a friendship.

In a completely different way, “Wine Speak” is a jab at the special language that we (wine lovers) often find our selves talking. What is gobbledygook to others, makes perfect sense to an oenophile. As long as it’s not overly done, a little “wine speak” can truly enhance the enjoyment of a bottle of fine wine. Hopefully, a beautiful sculpture can do the same.