© A Verlaeckt Clark 2016  

My aboriginal (Abenaki) heritage touches on earth's vulnerability, and praises its maker.   I feel strongly the souls of ancestors within each stone and use that to inspire the visuals. Sculpting is a life's work that flows from the quiet of my memory, with a strong element of spirituality. My stone sculptures are enduring...with a presence that speaks to personal strength and the strength of our surrounding natural geography. Earth's landscape and its rhythms are the driving forces in my abstract forms...translated, they become tactile, rhythmic, elegant and strong sculptures.  Each of my accompanying poems gives the viewer pause for reflection and time to move quietly into the work Having witnessed my mother’s descent into Alzheimer’s, my sculpture direction became more focused; the stones became personal witnesses, recording more emotional and spiritual connections. I identify with the passions of life, as well as, its fragility.. the creases, ripples, indentations and rusting in my sculpture are meant to draw the viewer deeper into the work, wonder  what is 'not' seen, only suggested. I am frequently astounded at a path taken during the birth of a sculpture, and its poetry, because I do no drawings.  With mallet and chisel in hand and a chalk board close for writing, I rely strongly on my sculptor's and poet's intuition. Appreciating the contribution of diverse cultures to art, I have travelled widely in Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, Central America and Australia connecting with other artists. While doing a marble sculpting residency in Italy, I  discovered Kan Yasuda’s sculpture and in the UK, Anish Kapoor, whose works continue to inspire me today. I have honed my powers of observation, since childhood, of humanity and artistic techniques; my hope is to lift the stone from the commonplace to the poetic. I believe 'Art must have a Heart' and donate 4 pieces of art yearly to support charitable societies such as the Alzheimer’s Association, AOE Arts Council and the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa.

The heart of my art is the raw beauty of a simple line