"Not For Sale" Solo Show at Mercury 20 Gallery

My latest sculpture has been a huge accomplishment for me due to the size. It is a 12 feet interactive installation that I constructed out of steel, antique book pages, resin and wheat paste. Initially, I was inspired by the large beautiful gallery we relocated to on 25th Street in Oakland. I knew that I wanted to work big and incorporate an element that the public could interact with. Combine this desire with a conference I went to about human trafficking and Truth Scope started to form in my mind and in my visual journal. I will be donating a percentage of my sales to an organization called "Not For Sale" . They are working on educating everyday people how to fight against this terrible crime that is happening in our US cities and the world.

Please join me opening night September 3, 2010, 6 - 9 PM
Mercury 20 Gallery, 475 25th Street, Oakland, California. To download a map of all 24 galleries open nearby go to : www.oaklandartmurmur.com

After 12 hours we finally pieced together my installation at Mercury 20 Gallery this week. I could not have accomplished this without my faithful family and friends. Thanks to all of you who helped me install the Truth Scope.

After we hoisted the top of the scope up I installed the internal lighting.

Kenneth ( my daughter's boyfriend) and Jonathan (our oldest son) were the main muscle power.
Getting the cage and the rest of the scope up was an even greater challenge.
Andrea (our daughter ) helped me with a lot of the little details.
There were a few moments of panic for me when I thought that I made the scope too long, but thankfully Kenneth and Jonathan hoisted the scope higher to fit the steel legs underneath.

At the end of the evening Jonathan climbed up beyond the rafters and took a photo of me from the top looking down through the scope. I am inviting the public to help me complete the piece by writing on the inside of the cage the things in their lives that they would like to let go of.