Fountain Power #2. 2003 steel vitreous enamel 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 x 5/16" Photo: Norman Watkins

"rarely do we ask ourselves what it [decoration] is all about and why humankind has felt this universal urge to expend vast amounts of energy on covering things with dots and scrolls, chequerboard or floral patterns."

E.H. Gombrich, 1979

All of my work is humanist in nature. In the last few years my work has focused on the use as well as the language of ornamentation and decoration. i am specifically interested in the inherent expressive potential of decorative forms. Even that which lacks decoration derives its appeal from its relationship to decoration. What is added when an object is 'decorated'? What is in the ornament or how does decoration do what it does?

Brooch #2 from "Embedded Fountain Flower Series", 2003 steel, vitreous enamel, plaster 2 5/8 x 2 5/8 x 3/16" Photo: Norman Watkins