"Flames bring an inexhaustible fountain of metaphor and historical reference to how we evolve as a species. From age-old gatherings around the warmth of fire, flames have been the center of our life on the planet. A few torsos in the show are inspired by Saint and brave feminist Joan of Arc (who was vilified by the same powers whom her army saved) while other abstracted flame forms are symbolic of creative energies and passions. I have created a series of sculpture which reference a final test, as Dante ( Purgatorio) must penetrate the wall of flames of purification to arrive in Seventh Heaven. My work is about the metaphoric flame which burns in each of us  ---and the responsibility for each of us to keep that flame alive.”
M.J. Anderson, August 2025