Stone Sculpture in China

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In 2004 I was selected by the Chinese government to attend the Third International Hui' An Sculpture Symposium in Chong Wu, China

Chong Wu is in the Fujian prefecture (Hui An District), which is located on the eastern shore of China, across from the island of Taiwan.

The symposium was attended by 39 chinese sculptors, and ten sculptors from aroundthe world, and I was honored to be the United States representative.

"My Two Worlds" is a sculpture that I created in 1998, as my first stone sculpture. The Chinese government asked that I duplicate this sculpture - only much larger.

Viewed from the front, one will see the face of a Native American or 'Indian'. His hair is blowing back. I use his hair to place different elements, that all tell a story.

The left side is the 'Old World' side, and the right side is the 'New World' side.

Looking at the 'Old World' side, we first see an eagle, or Spirit God. We then see a teepee village. Below this is a herd of buffalo (American Bison), and below that a fish jumping out of a stream.

Looking at the obverse side -the New World side, we see that a christian cross has replaced the eagle or Spirit God. A city skyline, and a single tattered teepee has replaced the teepee village. A cloudy, mystic buffalo has replaced the buffalo herd. Below, a floating bottle has replaced the fish jumping out of the stream.

If we again look at the front - at the face - we notice a single tear flowing down the cheek of the New World side - thus the name of the piece - My Two Worlds

Although depicting the changes that the Native American community has had to face, I feel that all of us somethimes long for the 'Good Old Days', and we might even shed a tear.