Wynn Newhouse Awards

Statement

I am an abstract sculptor and my physical condition has never been a conscious subject in my art. My work methods changed substantially following the illness and I am now dependent on assistants for all but the simplest sketching and rudimentary assembly activities.

If one of the best ways to change your art is to change the way you make it, then my work has certainly changed by my experience with this illness. But I'm at a loss to see how it has changed.One of the themes I was working on, (before the illness) was a stepladder form. I took it up again (after the illness), and worked on it for a number of years. Perhaps my mobility issues and learning to walk again were influences on the work of this period. I don't really know.

Disability: Guillain-Barre syndrome; legs paralyzed below knee, arms limited function below elbow