"Nigredo in Jungian alchemy describes a life event in which one experiences a blackening of the soul. I think of suffering in the classical sense of "to undergo" or "to endure". This sculpture is the first of a triptych. Whereas in my drawing I strive to observe humanity, my sculpture is symbolist. Here the symbol represents a common inner state of the rhythm of life. The gestures are intentionally lyrical - for the nigredo state is associated in my mind with a slow poetic movement of quiescence and melancholy. I think of Keats: My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains my sense." NEXT