Sculptor Max DeMoss plays with the mysteries in the ancient art of bronze casting in the creation of his completely unique figures, bowls and platters.

"The mass entertainment of the Renaissance was painting, when art audiences were captured by the artist's use of line," says DeMoss. "In my work I introduce the line to reflect the process of creation, and to add thoughtfulness and depth to each piece."

DeMoss uses the centuries-old method of "lost wax" casting. His work comes alive specifically because each piece is broken open, letting in light and space, subtly informing the observer of its origins.

This sculptural fragmentation implies motion, suggests the transition from the artist's imagination to reality - and has the effect of expanding the figure's presence, as if tugging on the space around it.

In these ways, the feeling of aliveness in DeMoss' work is genuinely unmatched.

While DeMoss' figurative sculptures can convey a variety of emotions, his platters and bowls are more serene in feeling. Again, DeMoss uses fragmentation of these pieces, in both bronze and with inlaid silver, to create a line which the viewer's eye follows.

To him, the narrative quality of the platters and bowls lie in their representing abundance, "I do a lot of cooking, often for large gatherings, and for me these pieces invoke that kind of communal feeling. A well worn serving platter or bowl, is an artifact of family."

Living with his wife Carolyn and family near rural Hemet, California, since 1975, DeMoss works daily in his own foundry, located near a citrus grove.