I must confess I have a love affair with Italy, it's in my breed. My grandfather was Italian, when he passed away I inherited his key chain. Yes, a small trinket he brought back as a youngster from the Vatican in Rome. I carry this key chain with me everyday as a reminder of what a great man he was. A small man, a cobbler by trade. Hard working, he "never borrowed a dime." He embraced the American dream of the early 20th century. He came from nothing and made something for himself and his family. I think there is a lot of honor in that however humble it may be. Because of this key chain I have developed an obsession for tarnished old religious metals . To me each one of them is full of history and carries a certain mystique. Enamored, I must go on and tell you of my treasures and how blessed I am to hold, cherish and work with such lovely things. Here is a shot of the St Cristoforo Medal of my grandfathers on the other side is the Vatican. I embellished the key chain with some other bobbles and a walking fish. The walking fish is african and is a symbol of where I believe we came from the ocean. The walking fish, Darwin and the whole evolution thing will maybe have to come at a later date for now I will humbly try to attempt to express my obsession with metals. From a sculptural stand point they really are tiny works of art, dedicated to the women and men of our past. The great benevolent people that went before us and who left a profound impact on mankind. When researching the Saints, almost always it is said what a simple and modest life they lead. I wish at times I had more of a simple modest life, with less distractions, a life that doesn't put such an emphasis on the material world. In my heart of hearts I truly believe I would see the world differently and with more clarity. I would realize that LOVE is the most powerful thing of all. But for now, I will grub around gathering up metals and making pretty things out of them:)
