Rings

A deep automatist streak in me often means that I don't put too much thought into the subject matter of my work, and it is always profoundly influenced by the materials and processes that I use to generate it. That said, I have a real affection for the ring form, which seems to me to promise things about time and space and our fate inside these frameworks. Chinese art in general, especially bi discs, has had a particular impact on me.

Process

The 'Rings' series has branched in a few different directions from its start as an investigation of parametric construction, stemming from work I had been doing coding tool paths for my 3D printed ceramics.

Setting up some initial conditions in my modeling software, I could manipulate the ring form first by deciding its size and shape, then by cutting away at that shape with patterns of other forms that I could control within the software.

The rings are initially 3D printed as two-part patterns in plastic. I use the patterns to create sand molds into which I can cast metal: initially bronze and later copper, to allow me to apply enamel to the cast pieces.