RICHARD ERDMAN
(b. 1952)




Artist's Statement
I am drawn to the mystery of opposing energies in concept, material, and form. I find that within physics, the diametrical forces of life are exposed at their most fundamental, interesting, and engaging levels. In the apparent chaos of a beehive, there is order, purpose, and meaning. Polarity is like the food of nature and our own human genome; opposites attract, and within the
tumultuous storm of attraction, we find passion, expression, and beauty.
I carve stone as I see life: from the inside out. I am always exploring, experimenting, pushing technical possibilities, and searching for more than meets the eye – it is my sense that life is 99% invisible; in the sublime beauty of stone, there are worlds of possibility and wonder. In the process of carving away 80 - 90% of marble from the original blocks, there exists what I call a ‘released compression,’
a result of having been deep within the Earth for 300 million years.
I intend for my sculptures to contain ‘complementary contrasts’ in their asymmetry, while maintaining an imperceptible balance of form and linear direction. Within these disparities – a beehive of activity – there exists a calm presence of mind. Because each of the sculptures are carved from a single, massive block of stone, a unity of opposites is intuited and felt by the viewer, first on a visceral level rather than an intellectual one; that is, we know instinctively that the connectivity within these diverse sculptures is as solid as the stone itself.

Winter 2016 White marble Sculptures by Richard Erdman

Carrara Marble Richard Erdman

Carrara Marble Richard Erdman

Winter 2016 White marble Sculptures by Richard Erdman