Artist’s Statement

Almost everyone has either played, seen, or dreamt of taking part in that little romantic game where a lady plucks the pedals from a flower, alternately saying “he loves me…he loves me not…he loves me!” It’s that playful game that inspired the dwmerkey sculpture He Loves Me. More particularly, what I had in mind was the moment the girl pulls the last flower pedal and whispers with joy the synchronized phrase, “he loves me!” You can see the pervasive delight and warmth in the couples’ focus on the final pedal in her hand which represents her affirmation of love.

Maybe a better title for this sculpture would be They Love Each Other. I suggest it because this couple’s mutual affection is quite clear. The ideals of love nurtured in the rich earth of clear relational roles are personified in both people. He is the strong support, the one she can lean on, the one who is invested in her and who cherishes her. He is attentive to her and delights in her and her/their love. She is a picture of feminine beauty that easily melts into the loving protection of her man. Her long hair, the flowing skirt, and the innocent way her feet are turned inward all speak to her joy as a woman in love. You can sense in his caress that he does, in fact, love her. You can feel her heart’s rest in this love as she sweetly leans upon him.

Most people, when they saw this work in progress in my studio, simply smiled. That’s exactly the effect I was going for. Perhaps a smile is the best compliment anyone could give me for this piece of sculpture. For a smile says to me that one’s heart has been warmed by the joy invested in the work. I want your heart to be warmed. Like a flower opens to a sunbeam, so I pray your heart opens and delights in this simple and wonderful expression of love…and smiles.