What's an environmental sculpture?
An environmental sculpture is planned for a particular site, so it has a special relationship with its surroundings. The site and finished sculpture work together to create a unified mood or atmosphere. Often existing on a grand scale, an environmental sculpture encompasses viewers, who enter and move through the space. So the elements of time and movement are also involved as part of the viewer's experience.      More Text

How long have you been doing this?
Twenty or twenty five years. It depends on when you start counting -- before or after art school.

How did you get started as a sculptor?
It took me a number of years to realize I was a sculptor. But I always liked making things with my hands and using different materials, and I started doing it at a young age. So it all developed from there.

Do you have people that help you when you make an installation?
Most of the time I work alone in my studio. But I usually have an assistant or two when I build an installation in a gallery. I work with a team of engineers and architects on my public art projects.

Does it bother you to make work that's temporary? All that effort, then you take it down?
Everything's temporary, so it feels appropriate that a lot of my work is too. But de-installing certain works that are special to me is sometimes difficult. It's good to make a few long lasting things, which is why I like public art projects. You can make big sculptures and you don't have to cart them around from place to place in the back of a pickup truck.

How long does it take to make one of your sculptures?
A few are completed in one day, and I've spent up to five years on a public art project. Most pieces take several months.

How much do your sculptures weigh?
My early fabric sculptures were very light: a room-sized environment folded up into the back of a station wagon and only weighed a few pounds. But a welded metal sculpture or a concrete bridge can weigh many tons.

Where do you put your sculptures when the exhibit is over?
Sometimes they get boxed up and stored in my basement or studio, or recycled into another sculpture; occasionally they're sold. When you think of it that way, I guess it's quite impractical.

How do you decide what to make? Where do you get your ideas?
One project leads to the next. I'm always thinking of many ideas. I let them sit for a while and if they still intrigue me, I want to build them.

Why do you make sculptures?
I get an idea and I'm curious to see what it looks and feels like. It's my personal vision and I want to make it come to life, so I can see it and others can experience it.