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The Allure of the Fish

Gatherings

Settlers to the new world were greeted by an abundance of game, fowl, and fish. So prolific where the salmon runs that local laws were written preventing landowners from serving their tenants salmon too many days each week. Salmon were also used by local farmers to fertilize their crops. "School - Gatherings" are inspired by the stories of Connecticut farmers wading into the shallow waters of the Connecticut River with pitchfork and basket to secure food and nutrients for their crops. Each work pays homage to the gathering process, while in the mirrored surfaces, the stones reflect ourselves, the solution to the salmon's recovery.

 

In The West

Winchester is regarded as one of the arms manufacturers to produce a series of weapons responsible for winning the West. Ironically, Winchester also made tools to tame the land - Manifest Destiny - like the bucking saw in this composition. The byproduct of using these tools was a clearing of land for agriculture and the creation of space to build communities. As humanity spread, and with it, the ecosystem altered, creatures like this crystal steelhead vanished. 

Thomas

 

Poking above Black Tom Butler's bridge in Clonmel, County Tipperary, are the remnants of an Abby. This Abby, on the banks of the River Suir, sheltered Saint Thomas Aquinas, adopted locally, as the patron saint of Atlantic Salmon. This sculpture was made while the artist was directing the Artist Residence Program at Waterford Crystal.

 

 

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