End Of An Era

For 15 years, I have been working with resins -epoxy, polyester, polyurethane. When I first began my journey into this mystery material, I went over to Santa Monica Plastics (no longer in operation) and asked someone how to protect myself from the chemicals. I got some good tips from a friendly gentleman at the shop and went on my way. Mask and gloves in hand, I was ready to create. When I moved my studio to Palm Springs, I installed industrial ventilation as an added layer of protection. Even with respiratiors, gloves, hazmat suits, and ventilation I'm sure that I am still being exposed to chemicals. I knew this all along, but felt like I was badass for exposing myself to chemicals in the name of art. I followed my passion and got really fucking good at manipulating resin.

A month ago, I found out that my father was diagnosed with lung cancer.  As I write this, just 4 weeks into his cancer journey, he is already on hospice. As a non-smoker, naturally we were all surprised that he developed cancer in the lungs. It made me think about how many other things can cause cancer other than cigarettes. Many of these things are uncontrollable (ie: pollution). But there is one thing that I can control - resin.

Whether your resin is labeled as "safe" or not, be aware that all chemicals have risks. I always used the good stuff, though. I like the premium, super clear, extremely toxic, and most expensive resins. My intention has always been to make the best work that I can with the best materials. Unfortunately for me, using toxic, expensive resin is the way to do that.

So, with tears in my eyes, I've made the very difficult decision to eliminate resins from my practice. What am I if not a resin artist? Will you still recognize my work if I don't use resin? Without even knowing this transition was going to happen, I remembered that I've already begun to use other materials. How could I forget? I started working in bronze and marble over the last few years. So, I guess this is just a natural evolution of my work, another chapter to my artist bio. I'm a SCULPTOR through and through!