Temple of Love

Chased, kum boo, wire granulation, and fabricated amulet on a 22" loop-in-loop chain

I have long had a fascination with religious architecture. From the Lascaux caves to the ancient Egyptian temples to the high Gothic cathedrals to Hagia Sophia Mosque to the erotic temples of India, their forms are most human, reflecting the endless mystery of creation in, if you think about it, not such subtle shapes.

Much of my work is about this reflection of masculine and feminine forces, which Puritan rooted culture pretends to ignore. Ever since people crawled through the belly of the earth to paint on cave walls, we have implicitly venerated this symbol of the womb, which has continued to shape religious architecture. I find the towers of Medieval Gothic, Islamic, and Indian architecture obviously phallic, but the cloisters, naves, archways, and domes of these styles are undeniably feminine. These transformational symbols of renewal, rebirth, reflection, and reunion through form and space are imprinted on our psyches.

The eyes on the front of the amulet symbolize the soul, as the stars, crescents, and curves on the back symbolize the cosmos. The outside shape was inspired by the temples of Khajuraho in India. The amulet serves as a gentle reminder that images and shapes repeat throughout art and time, but it’s how one interprets them in one’s own work that is creative.