IL MAGO (The Magician) was commissioned by Paula DeCosse as a surprise gift to commemorate her husband Cy’s 90th birthday.  Cy DeCosse is a celebrated artist in Minneapolis. 

This piece was part commission and part grant (provided by Forecast Public Art and the Jerome Foundation). It involved a lengthy development process where I worked with Watershed District staff to identify possible sites and themes to be explored.

Catchin’ A Wave was created for the mini-golf course at Can-Can Wonderland, St. Paul, MN

My design for “Catchin’ A Wave”, was selected out of 250 entries to be included as one of the 18 holes in Can-Can Wonderland’s mini-golf course.

The director of the clinic approached me because he had seen another piece of mine in another health setting and wanted a custom piece for their pediatric waiting area. A meeting with staff revealed that they wanted to embrace a theme that reflected the nature of the area surrounding the clinic, specifically the Minnesota River Valley.

I met with the client and we talked about her husband and the things he enjoys doing (skiing, bicycling, etc.), then she added that if I could include her second most favorite being (Beabie, the family dog) she would be most happy. I asked if Beabie enjoyed skijoring (the dog wears a harness and pulls a skier), and she replied, “Beabie doesn’t like to do much of anything!”

This donation box makes giving fun! Coins can be inserted at the top of the box and roll back and forth down a series of ramps and into the safe below. Or dollars can be inserted into a dollar roller by turning the crank.

This piece was commissioned by a California Americana collector as a 50th wedding anniversary gift for his parents. The idea for Spirit of Adventure came from all the wonderful trips they have taken as a family to far reaches of the world. As the crank is turned the bi-plane undulates as if in flight as scenes pass below them.