“Joined at the Hip”

“Joined At The Hip is a collaborative piece created with master woodworker Dan Rieple. We work well together as each of us has the utmost respect for the talent and expertise of the other. In other words, neither of us let our egos get in the way.

For me, Joined At The Hip represents the interdependence that we all have for and in each other. Somewhere there needs to be a balance in the knowledge that choice as well as responsibility are individually our own, and in the understanding that as we help others to succeed, we benefit individually as well. It is interesting to me that as an artist who reveres individuality and uniqueness that I have nevertheless come to that conclusion.

In this Functional Art table, the gracefully crossed female looking legs in wood at each end represent humanity and our interdependence upon each other. Literally we support each other. The bronze section represents our planet, our environment, and our world, which is the very means of our continued existence. There is a dependence here that I do not see as being fully appreciated. If in our collective arrogance, we destroy the ability of our planet to provide for us, then all the money in the world that it is possible for us to accumulate will be of no help to anyone.” – Richard Pankratz