Bird House is a sculpture that, similar to my other 2013 designs (Rocket and Disco Dude), plays homage to my fun inner child. It is whimsical in its shape, but philosophical with its “Stay True to You” quote on the front of it. This belief is very important to me on a personal note as many people can and do lose themselves as they travel the road of life.   This happens for many reasons, usually brought about by the responsibilities put upon us due to financial or relationship obligations; but it is vital to keep in touch with our inner child!   This is how we continue to inquire, learn, laugh, and live life to the fullest potential.

This belief is also very important to me as a professional artist.   Attempting to combine my personal creativity and my personal preferences with a professional need to produce work that will have a broad sweeping appeal to clients and not just to myself puts me in a position of balancing my wants with viewers expectations.   Of course, I believe in creating work that will appeal and sell, but I know that in order for my work to be genuine and sincere, I must stay true to myself.

The Bird House sculpture came about after I had given much thought to designing a bird nest.   Nature has always fascinated me; there is always a special treat to be found within nature. But the shape, feel, and properties intrinsic to a nest don’t work with my TIG welding fabrication style.   Despite this logistical problem, I couldn’t let go of the idea of a nesting bird; a birdhouse was my next best option.

Bird House combines some recurring themes I work with.   First, the Raven continues to be a strong iconic symbol that many viewers connect with. The addition of this bird assists with elevating the appeal of this artwork to more people.   The shape, design, and thought behind the Bird House itself came about in 2013 when I was working on very whimsical designs.   It (like Swirl Bird) is somewhat “Seussical” to me, meaning that it is very exaggerated in its quirkiness. In 2018, I even created a Bird House featuring a Cardinal.