The Origin of the Idea

I've been thinking about sculpting with firearms for a long time.  Truth be told, I'm a little ashamed it's taken me this long to actually start doing it.  A friend of mine had a son at Virginia Tech when that shooting happened.  The kids of another friend of mine went to high school less than 6 miles from Columbine.  How could that not have been motivation enough for meaningful action?

Anyway, I'm thinking back, trying to decide when I first thought up the idea.  I know it was sparked by seeing this ...

It's the huge bronze sculpture of John F. Kennedy that stands in the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.  I remember seeing it several years ago -- maybe longer -- and thinking that a similar effect to the coarse clay sculpting could be achieved by welding together some handguns.  I think I got bogged down by the challenge of trying to create a recognizable image when your smallest components are ten or twelve inches long.  The sculpture would have to be massive.  Way bigger than the 4' to 8' diameter I envision for the average PeaceWork.  So I discarded the idea at some point.

I wish I'd pursued it sooner.