Artist Statement

I started experimenting with cement long before it became the trendy thing to do. To paraphrase an old country song "I was concrete when concrete wasn't cool" I love trying to expand the boundaries of concrete and see what I can get away with (my fellow concrete artists know exactly what I mean). If I do the right things then beautiful mysterious stone is formed--if I go too far I have created a crumbling mess. For some strange reason I find it all very entertaining.

One of my goals is to show that concrete is not just for
sidewalks and countertops--it can take the form of so many unique and
beautiful shapes, textures and colors. The pieces that I create are
produced in many different ways because half the fun of any artistic
endeavor is experimenting and making new discoveries after trial and
error. At least once a day I think to myself "what would happen if
I...."   And so some of these sculptures are produced by pushing
concrete into various molds(glass, plastic, cardboard,etc) or by
carving and chiseling a semi-hardened concrete block, or perhaps
layering cement over a wire armature. I than incorporate acid stains,colored sand,found objects or even live plants to the mix. I usually start out with a
drawing or idea in mind and then end up with something completely different
from my original plan. The possibilities with concrete are endless and
exciting. This experimentation and discovery is what inspires me
everyday and hopefully will inspire others to see the beauty that can
be created from a simple grey powder and some sand.

ALG

Amy Lennard Gmelin
Amy Lennard Gmelin