Radiant Energy

Radiant Energy being built at my home in Mahopac, NY. 2024

Radiant Energy Base sticking out of my CRV moonroof. So versatile!

Radiant Energy is three different stories that ended up in one sculpture.

The aluminum tripod base started out as part of Cows Love Art. In that piece, a cow made from old, repurposed metal curled into a shiny, contemporary aluminum form, with a giant swirly orb of metal on top. People loved that cow. Eventually I took the piece apart and sold the cow on its own, and the swirly pieces of the orb found their way into other projects. The tripod went into the yard to wait.

The radiant center came from somewhere else entirely. I made it as an experiment that never quite came together, so I set it aside too. The giant circle is the metal frame that once held up a glass tabletop.

One day I set the radiant center on top of the tripod. It was close, but it needed something more. I grabbed the old tabletop circle, framed the center inside it, and stepped back. That was the moment Radiant Energy was born.

Its first home was in front of the West Point Visitor's Center in Highland Falls, NY, for a year-long outdoor show organized by the Chamber of Commerce. From there it moved to a three-month show at the Red Mills Historic Area in Mahopac, NY. Now it's headed to the Putnam Valley Public Library.

I love that every part of this piece had a first life—a base from a beloved cow sculpture, an experiment that didn't work out, and a piece of old furniture. Together they became something none of them could be on their own: proof that nothing is wasted if you're willing to wait, look again, and put things together in a new way.

Yoni (my husband) and I bolting the base onto its platform.