“Kirby Cove”  2013

This is probably one of my favorite pieces.  Although they all hold their own special value to me wether how fun, challenging or sentimental, this one takes the cake. I made it to give to my mother for her birthday in 2013 to be installed as a backsplash over her stove.  Kirby Cove is located right across the Golden Gate Bridge and growing up in San Francisco in the early 70’s we would go there and have beach day picnics with her, my stepdad and 3 siblings.  Playing on that little beach with the army bunkers and the bridge towering over us was magical.  Fast forward to the year 2000 and had moved away 20 years prior, my stepdad passed away and so all went back there to spread his ashes.  I really wanted to do something special for her and thought this would be perfect. She was ecstatic!  She then told me the story when she moved to San Francisco when I was just about 8 months old or so.  Running from a pretty abusive relationship in Portland Oregon she was driving down, stopped on the very headlands where the Robot is sitting and started pondering what her life was going to be like now that she was free and on her own.  Such a pivotal moment for her.  Turned out this was the perfect gift with a such a fortuitous image.  I can’t look at the Golden Gate Bridge and not think about her story and my stepdad for the upbringing they gave me.  Forever grateful.