Jenny kiss'd me when we met,
Jumping from the chair she sat in;
Time, you thief, who love to get
Sweets into your list, put that in!
Say I'm weary, say I'm sad,
Say that health and wealth have miss'd me,
Say I'm growing old, but add,
Jenny kiss'd me.

-- James Leigh Hunt's Jenny Kiss'd Me

The occasion of this poem was when Leigh Hunt went to visit some friends who had a daughter.  But most people who have experienced the spontaneous affection of a child have felt the pleasure he writes about.  Perhaps this is one of the joys of being a grandparent. 

For some reason at the time I did this sculpture I felt it necessary to explain my methods and intentions thus:

This style I call my three-dimensional silhouette which I realize is a contradiction of terms.  The surfaces are much more complicated than silhouettes in that the arrangement of the flat surfaces should look representational from any direction.  Often portions of flat metal meet in the center (or near) and come out to suggest the shape.  I developed this style so the sculpture would have a solid appearance, but all surfaces would remain open for maintenance (sand blasting and painting).  Rust always happens in enclosed areas of steel.  If some parts seem too enclosed, I bolt those on for restoration removal.  Also, I try to use plate metal heavy enough for permanency.  As Keats writes, "When old age shall this generation waste, Thou shalt remain, ..."

© 2001 to 2008  Franklin L. Jensen
All Rights Reserved.
All Original Works Property of Franklin L. Jensen