Some combination of planning and contingency imbue my sculpture with character and surprise. The materials that I use have powers and energies of their own. A quickening takes place when I restrain myself from becoming too proprietary. Using ordinary utilitarian objects as inspiration is key. Metaphor is a natural element in the making. The Chilean writer Robert Bolano said “Metaphors are our way of losing ourselves in semblances or treading water in a sea of seeming.” It can be as simple as making something that looks familiar. But is not completely recognizable so that a kind of evocation of meaning takes place.