Artist Statement

Mike McCarthy

Creating art has always been a necessity to me. It provides an avenue to bring my ideas to life. In working through the creative process, the vision of those ideas takes form and develops into a solid structure. The development of that structure and the melding of the idea into a completed work is one of the most fulfilling activities in my life. While my subject matter varies, it is all influenced by artists such as Michelangelo Bernini and Da Vinci. Regardless if I am working figuratively or doing an abstract work, their command of line and form inspire me to strive to achieve their level of competence. The influence those masters have had on me has also effected my material of choice. While I do some work in wood and steel, my preferred material is stone. I like the permanence and the weight that stone gives to my work. As so many of the great works were done in stone, it gives me a connection to those great works. To complete my work, I use a combination of power and hand tools. The sanding and polishing is where the character of the stone becomes visible. If the piece is an indoor piece, it will also get a sealer and wax to further enhance the stone.