PAT WEST

Sculpture is a form of meditation for me, in which the process is of the ultimate importance. The sculpture, or finished object, is the end-product of the meditation.

Each one is a study and often the same study continues from piece to piece, until the particular theme has evolved and my mind can release it. Though I begin each piece without a theme or destination, at some time during the process a dominant form emerges.

These forms are occasionally animal or human but most often are simple organic shapes that hint of movement and known images such as flowers, birds, or sea creatures. The sculptures are created with mallet, chisels, and rasps, and then sanded with finer and finer sandpapers which reveal the story that each piece of stone has to tell, its colors, compositions, and flaws. Some of the sculptures have been finished with Tung oil while others have just been left raw.