Z A F I R A

Made with oil painted cement and mosaic glass over a steel frame, Zafira is richly colorful and seemingly weightless.

A R T I S T   S T A T E M E N T

Made with oil painted cement and mosaic glass over a steel frame, Zafira is richly colorful and seemingly weightless. Her dancer’s grace is apparent at first glance - she is balanced on the front of her foot, suggesting she has already leapt off her base, arms outstretched above her in joyful abandon. A closer look reveals a warrior’s rough features and thick limbs. Zafira’s painted face and bejeweled body live up to her name, which means ‘successful’ in Arabic - but I chose it because to me it is evocative of both her strength and grace.

Zafira’s uplifting pose is based on the Fibonacci spiral. More commonly known as the “golden mean”, the Fibonacci spiral appears throughout the natural world, from our vast Milky Way galaxy to the shells of the smallest sea creatures, and has long been considered a compositional ideal among artists. I had been experimenting with it in my paintings and wanted to apply the shape to a figurative sculpture. The curve is long and swooping, and I kept envisioning a joyful figure in it. I really wanted to build her - and so Zafira was born.

Z A F I R A   -   B E H I N D   T H E   N A M E

Zafira is an Arabic name meaning 'successful'. And with her bright colors and joyful pose, who could doubt it?  ❤️  I chose it because to me it is evocative of both her strength and grace.

A   N A T U R A L   D E S I G N

Zafira’s uplifting pose is based on the Fibonacci spiral. More commonly known as the “golden mean”, the Fibonacci spiral appears throughout the natural world, from our vast Milky Way galaxy to the shells of the smallest sea creatures, and has long been considered a compositional ideal among artists.

B U I L D I N G   Z A F I R A

Watch me build Zafira in this video!

Z A F I R A   &   I L A N A   D E N V E R   D E B U T

Watch Zafira & Ilana being installed in the sculpture park in Denver, where Zafira won the People's Choice Award in the 2016 Sculpture on 73rd Avenue exhibit! 🏅