ABOUT THE ARTIST
My art career as a sculptor began later in life after a 23-year career as an international lawyer and corporate executive. As I got older, I became aware of how art can be one of many tools that can be used to combat Alzheimer's. Sculpting became a medium for my personal battle against this disease which has occurred with some frequency in my family. Sculpting not only allows me to use different parts of my brain but it also unleashed the creativity of my hands. Sculpting is, therefore, my journey of both preservation and determination and it has changed my life's trajectory.
I sculpt the human figure. As a largely self-taught artist, the models for my work are the many people I have met over the course of my life. They are the church ladies with their hats from my childhood, the memories from having been a mother, the people I have met during my years of international travel and people from the many experiences I have had as an African American in this country. I think of my art as a vehicle for holding on to those memories and keeping them in my "present".
I am fascinated by the fact that while each of us has all the same parts--face, eyes, arms, legs etc--we are all unique and clearly identifiable. I love the challenge of capturing that diversity in a sculpture through subtle differences like the position of the body, the slant of the head, facial expressions, etc. Each figure, though they start out the same, evolve into unique pieces of art with each providing a different interpretation of life. Let me introduce some of them to you......
They are the faces of every person I have ever seen,
Although, I don't always remember their names.
Earlene Hardie Cox