Artist Statement:

In 2000, I began addressing the interior space of the ring. For years I had been fascinated by images of the Japanese Zen gardens, but I felt uncomfortable just adapting or using them without feeling a clear sense or appreciation of their essence. I began visiting gardens, walking their paths, and discovered the unique qualities they hold. Labyrinths often placed in the floors of churches provided the parishioners with a means to fulfill a pilgrimage. I began to see the Zen garden icon as possessing similar qualities as the labyrinth and would suggest that the labyrinth floor sculptures are analogous to Japanese Zen wall icons.

Jay Willis received his MA in sculpture in 1966 from the University of California, Berkeley. He is an exhibiting artist who also is currently a professor at USC and the Founding Director of the Public Arts Studies program at USC. His work is in numerous private, corporate and museum collections including, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Walker Hill Art Museum, Seoul, Korea, The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institute, Washington, DC.