18 x 12 x 12 inches, alabaster

It was not a large piece. Soapstone is relatively soft and for me effortless.

It was late in August and hot, very hot. I worked fast. Because I am impatient I always work fast. I can't wait to see what will emerge. Sometimes I see the sculpture already finished in my mind's eye. But this day, I just carved and allowed the stone to dictate its form. It was impossible for me to lay down the tools; I had to see what was inside clamoring to surface. Then, there it was, exploding from the soft greenish soapstone, this screaming alien head with crazy teeth.

One afternoon, a psychologist friend of ours came for lunch. The nameless head was finished. I hadn't mounted it, but put it on a low table beside an armchair in the living room.

"Primal Scream." He said, studying the sculpture as we went outside to the porch for a chilled bottle of Wolfer Estate Rose wine and a grilled fish. He was a gourmet. "Primal Scream," he had said and the name stuck.