I hope you are all managing the heat well.

Even in this heat, the Sculpture in the Park is fast approaching. It will be held next weekend, August 8 and 9, in Loveland, CO.

In preparation for the show, I created nine additional small figurines for the Guardian of the Heart series. Like the earlier pieces in this series, each one was saggar-fired with combustible materials, producing surfaces that are entirely unique and can never be repeated. I hope they bring a smile to your face.

Special thanks to Becky for giving these little guardians such wonderful titles.

I am back from my emergency trip to Japan. My solo exhibition at the Dahl Arts Center has come to an end. Thank you to everyone who came to see it.

Now I'm home to a house and yard that both need attention—but, as usual, life gets in the way.

I am now shifting gears to prepare for the Sculpture in the Park Show, which will be held in about a month in Loveland, CO. I just received complimentary tickets from the organization. It is one of the largest sculpture shows in this country. If you are planning to attend, please let me know. I would be happy to mail the tickets to you.

I plan to take the following Little Buddhas to the show. I have also added these images to this link. Several pieces featuring two Little Buddhas—including this one—are listed toward the end. They explore human relationships.

I hope to post a new blog about once a month. If you would like to receive an email notification whenever a new post is published, please subscribe using the subscription box on my Contact page or in the sidebar of this blog.

Thank you, as always, for your continued interest in my work.

Finally, the following two pages have been updated with my new pieces. In this series, I have tried to portray a range of human responses to dementia, from its risks and diagnosis all the way to death and spirituality. You may have already seen some of the older pieces, but please bear with me, as new works are inserted not in the order they were completed, but according to how the stories unfold. I hope the dementia journeys depicted in these works will offer opportunities for reflection on your own life.

Most of the pieces in this series are currently on display at the Dahl Arts Center in Rapid City, South Dakota. I plan to be at the gallery for Community Night on June 26, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Please feel free to stop by and ask me questions.

Recently, I switched to a new blog notification service that eliminates annoying advertisements. If you would like to receive an email whenever a new blog post is published, please subscribe using the subscription box in the right-hand sidebar or on the contact page.

I sincerely appreciate your continued interest in my work. Thank you very much.

This is one of my favorites. I can relate to the agony of social isolation expressed in this piece, even though I have learned to move beyond chronic loneliness. For many of us, it takes more than a few trials and errors to find where we truly belong.

Hope is embodied in the turkey vulture. While it represents death in many cultures, it can also symbolize renewal and rebirth. Ultimately, it is up to him to turn his life in one direction or the other.

As my sister and I interact with our mother, who also has advanced dementia, we try to understand the meaning behind her responses. In our effort to find her true self, we share and discuss our interpretations. I hope that, through that search, our spirits may still be able to reach hers.