Private Collection, M. Defiance Cider Barn, Middleburg, Virginia

Gneiss Boulder, Granite

8’x6”x6’x4’

2010

A boulder stands upright on a granite pedestal. A square, removed from the center of the boulder, sits in front of the piece as a bench for the viewer. Frame for the World is a significant sculpture realizing a number of themes in Curtis's practice.

"When they smash atoms, they talk about the resultant particles as daughter particles," said Curtis. "I think of this two part sculpture in that way. I like the way the two remain related somehow."

Curtis acquired the stone from a road crew while driving around one day. "I had this stone for quite a while before I dared to cut it," he said. "I knew it was going to be an upright piece. I cut the base off, but I still couldn't bring myself to have the courage to cut it further. I had it for quite a while with just the bottom cut off."

The exaltation of the boulder speaks to Curtis's practice of elevating stones. "You raise it up on a base like this and you're presenting it as a more precious-than-normal object," said Curtis..

The intervention of the stone, cutting a hole into it, shows man's mark in the natural world. The polished surface of the square hole creates an opportunity for the viewer to experience the incredible texture of the boulder.

Again, this void in the stone makes the pathway for the viewer to not only look at it, but through it and into it. The negative space allows the viewer to experience the world on the other side through its lens. And finally, the bench created by the remnant encourages the viewer to sit, to rest, to ponder.