Introduction
The Casse-tête series started with my fascination with the quality of the line and edge of a broken piece of wax especially when it was frozen then shattered. The name, “Casse-tête”, refers as much to the process as to the finished piece. I start with a hollow wax head, cool it then break it with a hammer. The pieces are then cast and assembled roughly in the original formation, hence both the puzzle allusion and the broken head reference. This series emphasizes the fragility of the human condition and the difficulty in returning to that original state once damaged. In the course of this exploration the casse-tête has evolved and transmuted in several directions. Some are patched together with string or cloth; others have taken on a tectonic direction revealing a new form within. This is an open ended series keeping in mind Thomas Merton’s observation “We do not see first and then act; we act, then see."
