T BARNY STONE SCULPTURE
A native Californian, I have spent the last twenty-seven years in a love affair with stone. I import personally selected marble from quarries all over the world. Then I attain an affinity with the blocks by listening to their rhythms rather than imposing my own. I carve out the flaws of geological tension to release a sound free form inherent in that specific stone.

My stone sculptures are created in seashell-like forms of Mobius and curvilinear shapes. People often ask me how I twist the stone. I tell them that the form is already there; it's just waiting to be released. To me, it is a technical challenge to create these sculptures. I like taking heavy solid stone blocks and creating a room full of energy, light and movement.

 

MOBIUS SCULPTURE
The Mobius Strip was discovered in 1858 by German mathematician and astronomer August Ferdinand Mobius. His pioneering work in Topology led to what is known as the Mobius Transformation. The Mobius strip is a continuous loop with one surface and one edge formed by twisting the end of a long, thin rectangular strip 180 degrees and attaching the ends. Mobius strips are found in a number of surprising applications that exploit the remarkable property they possess: one-sidedness. Giant Mobius strips have been used as conveyer belts to make them last longer (since each "side" gets the same amount of wear) and as continuous loop recording tapes to double the playing time. In the 1960's, Sandia Laboratories used mobius strips in the design of versatile electronic resistors. Free-style skiers have christened one of the acrobatic stunts the mobius flip. The famous artist MC Escher used mathematical themes in some of his work, including a mobius parade of ants. It is the universal symbol for recycling.

My forty year fascination with the mobius; the simple original strip introduced to me in the third grade, has led me to what I continue to carve out of stone today. A T Barny mobius still has one side and one edge but is three-dimensional and travels through itself on continuous intertwined loops.

This is my expression of non-duality; my statement of oneness, creating an interrelated continuousness. We are all connected: to each other, to the earth and to the universe around us. In words, maybe Alexis Carrol said it best: "Man cannot remake himself without suffering, for he is both the marble and the sculptor".

 

WOOD SCULPTURE
I find wood the most forgiving of all materials. Yet, it is also a material that requires the utmost patience. First, I let the wood dry as a log or tree stump for seven years. I then rough out the shape of the piece carving out the natural cracks within the wood. Again, I put the piece aside for up to a year to allow for any final checking to appear. I then create a sculpture which will reflect the original log's own inherent strength.

I carve many kinds of wood, including walnut, myrtle, redwood and monkey pod. The walnut comes from friends who have orchards in the Sacramento Valley, and the myrtle and redwood from people who lose a tree and have heard that I will carve on wood. The monkey pod is from Kauai where it lay hidden in a storage yard for decades. The finished piece is oiled over by hand to bring out the grain. Wood is an exciting material that requires concentration and infinite patience to carve.

 

BRONZE SCULPTURE
If wood is the most forgiving material, then bronze is the most stubborn. Unlike my experience with wood & stone, I force bronze into a pre-existing form. I choose original stone or wood sculptures and create a mold of them. Using the "lost wax" process, I then cast the molten bronze to create the piece. What a difference in approach. Here I ask the bronze to transform itself into a T Barny sculpture. The cast bronze must be sanded to a smooth, fine finish before I apply a "Patina".

The "Patina" process is the oxidizing of the surface of the metal in a direction of color using various chemicals. I control the oxidizing process by applying chemicals to the surface of my piece. I use my knowledge from running a foundry at Rhode Island School of Design to experiment with creating different patina colors on my finished work. Sometimes I repeat the process many times on the same piece to find the right combination, and sometimes I hit the mark on the first try.