STEEL ONTARIO, CANADA I am drawn to the distinction between opposites. Subsequently, duality is an underlying theme in my work. I employ natural and non-traditional sculpting materials to create conceptual sculptures, but over a decade of steel fabrication has made metals my dominant choice. I was initially drawn to using steel as a material because of its plastic nature. It is a common, fast-working material that is very forgiving, allowing me to sketch my thoughts in line-drawing style panels and persuasively formed sculptures. As a sculptor, my work is predominately three-dimensional, but recently, I developed ‘painter envy’ and decided to work “two-dimensionally”. I use my welder as a pencil, and my grinder as a paint brush. Nonetheless, these ‘paintings’ are on steel, the pallet is rust, and the work is still three-dimensional. These landscapes have moved from stylized memories of idealized wilderness to actual locations from around Canada. Some works pay homage to the quintessential Canadian landscape made popular by the Group of Seven and others are conjured from memory. My current focus is on seeds and, most specifically, pine cones. I chose to use the pinecone for its complicatedly beautiful geometric natural form and because it is a seed. I am interested in a seed’s reason for being. The seed’s central goal of colonization is reaffirmed by the fact that these large metal pine cones have more in common with machinery and artillery than the natural shapes they resemble.