Musée du Rouergue, Salles la Source, 1997
The mill was full of strange large-scale objects once used to wash, grind, or sift grain, or to press oil from walnuts. At first, I didn’t understand their utility, but their sculptural esthetic was stunning.
We spent over three years restoring the mill, the millworks, the dam, and the water system, during which time the workmen became our friends and my sculpture professors, teaching me stone carving and woodworking as well as the difficulties in marrying the two materials. I became obsessed with the juxtaposition of wood, stone, and steel, obsessed with transitions: from soft to hard, from having a business career to becoming an artist, from being middle-aged to growing older.
