Today is a sad day. 

 November 21, 2023

 Today I have decided not to sculpt anymore, and to destroy all of the pieces I am working on and those in the studio that are finished but not cast.

This is not an easy decision, but one I have thought about for the last year. 

It started over a year ago when I was very sick and almost lost my life. Thankfully I had good doctors and survived, but my mind has never fully recovered. I am still fuzzy and can't concentrate more than a few hours a day, and have lost a fair bit of energy. At 73, they say this is my new normal. Plus when I contacted the foundries I have been working with for decades, I found the costs of casting my work more than doubled in the last few years. 

For those who don't know the process, the artist pays the foundry costs up front to make the molds and cast the work into bronze. The artist doesn't get paid until the work sells, so we have to front the costs for who knows how long. A lot of money out, none in. Work that was to cost $2500 from the foundry a few years ago was now almost $5000. I have seven pieces ready to be cast. 

With these two changes, my health and costs, I just can't do it anymore. I will try and concentrate on my paintings.

One last look at some of the pieces I am very proud of having created. It has been a pleasure and a great learning experience. Time to let my children go.

   - MT