Freestanding sculpture: Dancing with The Great Wave

Katsushika Hokusai’s famous woodblock print of The Great Wave was one of the inspirations for this sculpture with a human figure

“Escape” is a freestanding mixed-media sculpture capturing the charged dynamic between human form and elemental force. An elongated figure leaps forward—part dance, part escape—emerging from the arc of a breaking tsunami wave. The image is reminiscent of Katsushika Hokusai’s “The Great Wave”.

The wave curls in richly textured greens and turquoise, its foaming crest contrasting with the figure’s smoother, radiant surface, which shifts from oceanic blues into luminous yellow-greens. The color transition suggests transformation—human energy born from, and propelled by, nature’s power.

Sculpture in progress in my studio awaiting final painting.

Sweeping negative space and circular movement guide the eye around the form, balancing tension with grace. The piece evokes resilience, release, and the exhilaration of moving through chaos—less a frozen object than a suspended crescendo of motion and spirit.