Keep scrolling to see the creation process and the detailed story of Ponder Two.

The first Ponder was carved in wood and clearly depicted a contemplative figure. It portrayed a male figure in a suit jacket and matching pants, with a short haircut, fair complexion, and in his early 40s. My interpretation suggests that he was embarking on a journey towards a life goal of becoming a CEO. With his hand on his chin and a thoughtful stance, the question arises: what is this person pondering?

A collector of my creations, Kelley, visited my studio and was interested in purchasing Ponder if it were in bronze. (She has several of my bronze pieces) She inquired whether I was planning to cast Ponder. I said yes and explained my reasoning. After months of observing Ponder, I had vivid images and an additional story of a related sculpture. To bring my idea to life though, I needed the foundry to create a mold of this sculpture so that I could cast it in the future which would allow me to reclaim the original wood sculpture and continue carving on the original piece.

I continued to present my vision to Kelley. This Ponder One figure was not inactive; life was moving on. I wanted him to become aware of the passage of time. I wanted him to transcend the daily race to be promoted, financially successful, and have a more profound experience of life. I wanted to remove his “uniform” and allow him to experience the reality of being human. Another aspect of my internal experience was the comment about the impermanence of all things, including physical life and, in this case, the wood that would be carved away.

Kelley was captivated by my idea and paid for the foundry to cast “Ponder.” She received the first bronze edition. She appreciated my vision of a transformation to the first “Ponder,” so much so that she purchased “my idea” and sent me monthly checks towards “Ponder Two.”

After the casting of Ponder One, the wood version was returned to me. Carving into a “finished” sculpture was intimidating, so I waited.. Years passed until one day I was ready. I had a doctor’s appointment that morning and planned to go into the studio when I returned home. That visit to the doctor was the day I heard the words: breast cancer. I went home, went into the studio, and began working on transforming Ponder One into its next iteration. Timing is everything. My first step was to shave off Ponder One’s hair. I figured this was an appropriate start and a personal statement to myself that I, too, may go through the ritual of losing hair.

I could still intermittently work in the studio weeks after the surgery during my healing process. Even after  morning radiation treatments, I had the drive to keep carving. The process of the sculpture was to remove his fancy clothes. At this point, he went into “retirement” and had time to think about his life and what was now an opportunity to live more in keeping with his growing awareness of himself.

Self-examination took time as he was stripped down to just his physical body. He did retain his watch, the last vestige of measuring the passage of time. Though he did seem to mark time more by the sun, stars, and moon.

In the studio, he developed a relationship with Henry, my studio mate. Henry has a skeletal physique and a good sense of humor.

Month after month, I got stronger, and Ponder One also changed. He let go of his past form and began accepting his new existence.