North Light Studios

Several years ago Mike created Outside the Circle, which you can read about on a previous blog. Around the same time, he created this statue: Immortality Part of the story is mine. Shortly before Mike created this piece, I had my first miscarriage. What they say is true: you never understand how difficult it is until you go through one yourself. I remember talking to Mike about the sacrifices that so many women make. We give up our bodies for years at a time. Our bodies sometimes fail us. Our minds suffer when things don't go as planned. Emotions are high, and so are the stakes. This statue, aptly named "Immortality," is the embodiment of those sacrifices. Not only do women bear children, but we don't bear children. We adopt and we foster care, and we babysit our nieces and nephews. We lose sleep. We toss and turn. We worry. We lose our marbles. Sometimes, women can look down at themselves and see only stretchmarks. We a wreck of the person we used to ...

It's finished! Isn't it always nice when you can say something like that? With all the work that went into this relief, Mike is ready for vacation. Even the casting process put him through a physical and emotional ride. The work that goes into creating something, from concept to finished product, is amazingly strenuous and impressive. When I try the process myself I tend to give up, so I have a tremendous respect for artists in general. Last night we went to the opening of the Fall Show at the Springville Museum of Art. There were a LOT of people there. I think they ran out of cups for water. But it was a nice evening, with beautiful art, and great people. Mike has received continuous awards in this show for the last...seven years? Eight, maybe? This is how you know that he works hard and puts a lot of himself into his pieces. Not only is he good, but he uses his talents and knowledge for good. He creates pieces that convey messages about important qualities and eleme...