+1 ::: When did you first realize you are an artist?

Who said I was?
I first wanted to be an artist at kindergarten..
realized I was an artist?
still not sure I am..

+2 ::: Could you tell us some more about your work?

I work without planning ahead - most of the time.
But always on figures and just about always from the female figure.
They aren't supposed to be real but about my idea of the female figure.
People say they emanate calm and humor.
Strange - two things I'd like to personally to have more of....

+3 ::: Do you use drawing in the process of creating your sculptures? And what was it that made you choose sculpture over other 2D arts like painting?

Never.
And what was it that made you choose sculpture over other 2D arts like painting?
I can't draw and anyway sculpture is really there so there is no pretending

+4 ::: What famous artists have influenced you, and how?

Fernando Botero
Henri Matisse
Pablo Picasso
Gerhard Richter
Yves Klein
H. Laurens
For starters....
They all inspire by showing that the individual style an artist develops should be personal and valuable and lovable
and so much more.

+5 ::: What other interests do you have outside of sculpture?

I love swimming and attend a masters group several times a week.
I also love the sublimity of opera.
and being outside - walking or cycling.
But my boys take up most of my time.
Now 10 and 12 I feel I must make the best of their presence in the house before they fly the nest.
So they come allot of the time.

+6 ::: What inspires you to sculpt and how do you keep motivated when things get tough in the studio?

For when things get tough I try to have several sculptures on the go so that there is always one at a fairly satisfying stage to work on when I first go in to work, then I can creep up on the tougher ones or dread of dread - starting a new one - once I have got over the trauma of actually being there.

+7 ::: How have you handled the business side of being an artist?

I relish the challenge and see it as a separate job.
I love selling the work so dealing with customers is essential - besides, meeting the people that enjoy my work is very interesting.

+8 ::: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

With children away from home so more time in the studio and more organized....
Well, I can hope.

+9 ::: What's the best and worst parts of being a full time, working artist?

I love being my own boss.
I hate the fact that most of the day is spent on my own - no work mates to share life with.

+10 ::: What advice would you give to an artist just starting out?

Be determined and stick to the work that means something to you.