20817 Bunker Hill Road
Marengo, IL, 60152
708-288-5199
I dislike the term “fine art.” It suggests that art is some kind of cherry on top or something distinct from basic life functions. But, of course, art is a primal necessity within the human project. We have lived for at least 40,000 years doing art. We need it for our evolution, connection, and awareness. Art is fixed firmly to the ground, painted on our bodies, or secreted dangerously deep in caves. Raw materials are transformed & attached to everyday life reminding us to feel, to awaken, to dream. Or as the great philosopher Suzanne Langer argues, art is what makes abstraction and language even possible. In art we first discriminate important features of the human landscape, including its offering of possibility - distinctly before we have words for any of it.
So I am concerned to make art that stands in the barely perceptible gaps of human experience - inviting us to crossover, to reconsider, to step out of our routines - to join the human race - to live well on this planet. (Something we aren’t doing very well at, I fear.)
Okay. Okay. And sometimes I just need to make stuff.
My grandfather showed me how to work with wood. As soon as I ever had a popsicle on a Texas summer day I was figuring out what could be done with those sticks. Metal, however, was a big mystery. In time, it drew me into its unique feeling and new ways of building - taking me further afield and opening up into equally delightful worlds of possibilities and ideas.
I am especially interested in tables of all sorts which I believe renew our sense of place, attention, & social connection. While my forms can be modern or unexpected, they are often inspired by nature & ancient archaeology.
I have always enjoyed the contrast between wood & steel. Taken together they suggest a full gradient of emotional color. The craft of each is hugely different and keeps me engaged and learning. In the end, any given project might be all wood, all metal - or an interactive chemistry of both.
My development has taken me many places - over many years. So you will see a wide range of influence from Arts & Crafts, Prairie School, to Mid-Century Modern - and beyond to where design leaks over into sculpture and back again.
David has worked with synagogues, churches, and other contemplative communities to make sacred furnishings, objects, and environments. His modern-primitive style makes the not-so-obvious-connection between modern life and ancient wisdom. The multicultural work is true to modern design standards, to traditions of iconography, and to meaningful expression for a given community. David is a longtime student of contemplative wisdom traditions including Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, & Sufi - allowing all these depths to influence his work and his own personal journey.
Yes, yes, I know. I wasn’t expecting this either. 40 years ago a tall, quiet woman walked into my studio and asked for a cremation urn. I agreed to help, but remember thinking I should keep this quiet. As these unsolicited requests came again & again, I eventually understood what should have been obvious - that art was needed here - as much as anywhere. But I still kept quiet about it.
25 years later an artist friend, who had seen my secret pictures, raised her voice in exasperation and insisted that these urns be available to the public. So here we are - a dozen or so bronze urns with hidden openings.
TAKE ME TO ”A DIFFERENT KIND OF URN”
www.DifferentCremationUrn.com
Lotus Urn
Tree Urn
