10.) How do you do it?

"Green" unfired brick are stacked on my plywood easel in the approved "bond" (pattern) using slabs of clay to act as a temporary morar joint. The approval drawing is scratched on to the moist clay surface. Then a variety of tools are used to create the work. The work wrapped in plastic and is sprayed with a plant mister anytime I am away for more than a few minutes. Once sculpted, photos are sent to the client for approval.

Once approval is received, the panel is disassembled and taken to the Acme Brick Company kiln. There, the bricks are fired at a toasty 2,100 degrees Fahrenheit. Finally, the bricks are shipped to the site and installed by professional bricklayers under my supervision.

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9.) How long does it take?

This really varies, especially if there is a lot of research involved. In general, the sinage pieces go more quickly. A 4' X 8' panel with lots of detail (such as a wildlife scene or an histoical collage could take anywhere form 2 to 5 weeks. Even "just" coming up with the approval drawing can take several weeks. Another factor is the availablity of the desired brick.

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8.) Do you do your own designs?

This really varies from job to job. I love to design something special for a client who just has a general idea of what they want to achieve with the artwork. I also work with folks who know exactly what they want.

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7.) How is the work shipped?

Normally, I put the bircks on pallets in order --- the bottom of the sculpture is on top of the palet. Cardboard or similar protection is pu between each unit of the panel. Pallets are shrink wrapped, marked and taken to the job site by a brick truck. In rare occasions, when there is a time crunch or when the installation is outside of the brick company's delivery area, I have rented a Uhaul and delivered the pieces myself.

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6.) What made you want to become a brick sculptor?

I was showing my pottery and small stoneware sculptured panel at an artfest in Tulsa, OK in 1981. One of the artists in a nearby booth asked if I would be interested in working in large scale. Of course, I was thinking, "Mt. Rushmore, here I come," and told him, "Why, yes, I would!" He gave me the name of the Acme Brick Company's regional sales manager, Bob Marks. Bob and I met and he showed me photos of the Anatole. I know I could do this kind of work. Acme shipped pallets of green brick to my studio and gave my first lead. When the archiect came to my studio, he said, "That's it!" This lead to my first job, an 84 foot long landscape for Conoco Oil.

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5.) How do people find you?

Sometimes people see one of my installations and inquire the owners; sometimes an Acme salesman shows my work to an architect; occasionally people find me through my website!

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4.) How is are the sculptures installed?

Brick sculptures are installed just like convential brick structrues with a few adapatations. The brick have to be lined up by the back of teh birck; sometimes the ties have to be cut to allow for deep cuts. Normally, teh brick mason who is already on the job will lay the bricks as I hand him each peice in order. I do help with linking up the pieses and stricking the joints. The work is installed using regular masonry mortar, with a 3/8" joint.

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3.) What happens if a piece breaks?

Surprisingly, this has occured only a few times over the years! As a normal practice, I keep a few of the same run brick wrapped in plastic and protected until the sculpture is completely installed. Often I take some of these green brick to the installation site. If the broken brick has a clean break, I use a high quality, waterproof epoxy adhesive to join the broken pieces. For bad breaks, we set a blank brick in the place of the broken piece, we wait for the mortar to almost set, we pull it out of the wall and scrape out the mortor. Then, I insert a green brick and recarve the artwork. Finally, I remove this piece so it can be refired at the brick plant.

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2.) How did you get started?

My first experince in clay was in ceramics 101 at the University of Missouri in June 1968. When the teacher placed a lump of clay in my hands, I know this was for me! See #6 for the rest of the story.

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1.) How much does it cost?

Each job is put into a proposal form for the client. I have a sliding scale dependent on variables such as the selected brick plant, the depth of the relief and glazing options. Other costs include: travel, The cost of the brick, the mason's labor, his mortar and ties, etc. Usually there is a payment schedule of a 25% retainer, 50% after the carving is complete and the remaining 25% upon installation.

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