I, the westerner, able to travel and enjoy the images nature and ancient cultures are giving me, ask myself whether it is right to take pictures of these faces, intruding into their lives, only somehow taking but not really giving something back. The thought is disturbing.
And then I look into those faces again and I also see smiles, no judging. I see innocent minds, curiosity, friendliness towards the stranger and again I receive something. I begin to understand. It is important to see and accept and not to ask for the reasons all the time. At the same time I am well aware, that in some regions of this planet you are not well received as a stranger and that sometimes you won't be accepted, even if you work hard to gain trust. Sad thing is that this is currently eating through many countries for "religious" reasons. But I decide to keep those friendly faces in mind and the best they have to give whenever I feel at odds with my own life.
The sensuous figures in my wood carving, in my sculptures and reliefs as well as in all other work represent for me the deepest levels of emotions that we as humans experience. It is not so much the figures themselves, but the emotions that are captured in this work.
Paramount for me is the longevity of all my work. Therefore each piece has been carefully hand carved from solid pine. It is extremely important for me to use renewable sources instead of illegal tropical wood. The special working process on these wood carvings also prevents later splitting due to changes in humidity and temperature.
The recent wood carvings are finished in a special "ivorization process" to give them the appearance of precious ivory carvings but without the stench of animal abuse. All other pieces are stained, the one or the other additionally painted and finally polished with bees wax which gives all pieces a velvety shimmer and the wood feels incredibly smooth....
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