When I decided to search for the light within myself and my work, I made a journey to the Greek islands. I was in search of a place far away from the distractions of modern civilization. I was convinced that I would be able to find an authentic form for my work in those beautiful surroundings.
I found a shepherd’s storage shed in an isolated area between the mountains and the ocean. I had no electricity or running water and collected rainwater in a bucket. I developed an ingenuity out of limitation. I was intoxicated by the sea, the light and the mountains.
The rock formations around the coastline became my personal museum. After months of hiking in the mountains, a silent discourse within myself took place resulting in a personal breakthrough. A new lightness enveloped my being and I realized that I had slipped into the creative unconscious. I became creative without being aware that I was creating. It was suddenly effortless.
Collecting flat stones became my daily ritual. I placed rocks in various formations by the shore and watched the waves wash them away. The stones inspired me to develop a new form of visual expression. But I knew I had to find a way to transform them into a more permanent form. I wanted my stone pieces to last. So taught myself how to use fishing net and line with glue as the materials to hold the stones together. I figured out a way of sandwiching and gluing the flat stones along fishing line. Those pieces became wall hangings which I later exhibited in New York city.
The passion for stone never left me. When I moved to Dutchess County in upstate New York I wanted to rediscover the slice of paradise I had experienced in Crete. After becoming familiar with the landscape, I started again to look for flat stones. At first I discovered river stones in the Tenmile River; then I found slate up on Stissing Mountain in Pine Plains, as well as along the rail trail in Millerton.
After collecting pieces that had broken off larger rocks I realized I could split the rock with slight leverage and a chisel. I separated the rock into many thin slabs and flat sections. Slate, although appearing fragile, had been used for centuries on roofs and floors because of its durability. The process of finding the slate became a meditative act of self-discovery.
The slate that I carried out by myself from different areas led to a large collection of stones. I then found structures; metal pieces, ladders and even chairs, and was able envelope them with the rocks. The shape of the structure and the nature of the stone came together to form the sculptures that I now call my Petras. The process seemed effortless because it was my own unique visual language. I felt I had discovered a clean slate to walk into the unknown. As I was shaping the physical form of the sculptures, the sculptures were shaping me and I knew I was being transformed.
My new body of work is the most significant work I have ever done. It comes from a profound place in my psyche. It is where I hear the ancient ones whispering to me.