"Cetus" Steel, 2007.

This piece was created as a study in steel and metal-working.  The goal was to create a finished project that used a variety of metal-working techniques.  These included welding (MIG), cutting, grinding, bending, and hammering.  The piece is about 5.5" tall and 3.5" wide.

Conceptually, the piece is meant to evoke curiosity and fear in the viewer through its variety of textures as well as in its menacing appearance.  The contrast between the textures of a true jellyfish and that of the steel jellyfish accelerates the feelings of mystery and severs the line between reality and fantasy.  The bending and sweeping tentacles of the piece give movement to the rigid steel, allowing us to imagine Cetus floating around the gallery (or sea) floor.  The life-size scale forces the viewer to create a direct spacial relationship between their body and with Cetus' body, causing the piece to demand further attention.  "Cetus," the sea monster in the epic tale of Odysseus, is the creature from our childhood nightmares or something that might come from the depths of the ocean.  Although the piece has a dark appearance, the gleaming eye invites the viewer to come closer and take another look-- at their own risk.