ORIGIN OF THE KEY-HALO, 1995

I accidently dropped my ring of keys that landed on their tips. At first, I couldn’t believe what I saw. This serendipitous event led to the creation of the halo that I’ve sculpt in wood and metal. In the '94 photo, Self-Portrait, I attached keys around the wood halo worn atop my head. One can extrapolate the meaning of keys that open doors to unknown frontiers. Doors are symbolic of finding new pathways - It’s our unconscious need to seek these paths that enable innovation. I'll always remember confronting that closed stairway door in '73 that led out to a college courtyard - I burst it open, stepped into the courtyard, and had a "vision" that showed the people, amidst the trees, sidewalks, and grass, in a whole different way. I immortalized that vision in the '74 sculpture, Emergence & Transformations. We have language to explain our world and it was my "vision" that defied explanation - Yet, because of its nature and utter surprise, it opened the door to the truth and a journey I never expected.