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Artist Statement

 




I like to think of my artworks as my imagination made tangible. They are an exploration of possibilities, and experimentation with combinations of materials, which are chosen on the basis of formal and physical appeal. I feel most interested and expressive when I am physically engaged with materials. The labor of making and the problem solving challenges of construction are my favorite part of making an artwork. It is important for me to create well-crafted objects that reflect my investment of time and energy. Being inspired by and utilizing objects found in my surroundings, my artworks become an expression of my connection to my environment. I choose old or abandoned objects, transform them into new forms, and in a sense give them a 'new history'. The objects are released from their original identities and become free of having specific meanings, or timeframes. These new forms are inventive enigmatic objects born through my direct physical interaction with the found objects.

When walking through the countryside or along the beach, I often find and collect interesting objects. It may be a bottle or a piece of rusty hardware that had washed up on the shore, or a dried seed- pod found on the edge of the woods. It is important these objects have histories, because I feel that in some way they remind of us of our own mortality because they are direct indicators of time passing. I find beauty in aged things, and there is something poetic about objects that show evidence of spent energy, labor, and life. When I see these items, the present moment disappears and I contemplate their existence. I feel sorry for these objects somehow, like everyone else has forgotten about these things that can be useful. These objects are inanimate so this sense of loss is within me, and I project it upon the objects. I want to save them, and by creating something from them, I can reinvent them. The idea of creating 'new forms' results in products that are familiar but whose meanings are ambiguous, thus leaving viewers to nominate possible interpretations.

Most objects I collect are industrial or organic. I view them as equal materials in that I do not hold any particular material as being more worthy than the other; they are simply interchangeable components with which to play with. Each piece spins off of the one before it, and in turn, many possibilities may arise from them. There are endless ways and levels on which one can engage an object. When working with dried gourds for example, they can be approached simply as a type of material, or structure. They can be made to reference themselves or refer to things outside of themselves. Their meaning can remain local and immediate or it can become metaphorical; a statement about function in both modern and ancient societies. At the very least, the gourd can be a decorative object, and is essentially the same in its physicality as it was in antiquity, so it is in a sense a timeless thing.

By using the gourd with any or all other materials, an endless amount of objects and associations may be derived from several combinations of such materials. This idea of an all- inclusive web of sign and signifier is what British sculptor Tony Cragg refers to as the 'nominative process' or the naming of possibilities. He claims that Postmodernism is a consequence of the view that everything in all time and space- appears on the same surface at the same time, so everything that happened in history- all options- have been nominated and are present all of the time. (Fraser, 4). This idea suggest that all of the information is present for all possibilities, and materials and objects to be used for a visual vocabulary are carriers of information, ideas and emotions. For example, with Cragg's piece titled New Stones, he uses a collection of beach trash like plastic bottles, and toys as materials to create a landscape type of installation by arranging the pieces according to the color spectrum. By using manufactured materials, and referring to them as 'stones', Cragg is suggesting to us that the modern landscape is a man-made one; everything is touched by man, and we are constantly confronted with plastic and other artificial imitations of nature (Jacob, 58). When the context of these collected items are changed, they can be viewed as a part of a larger whole, while maintaining their individual identities and associations. Like Cragg's works, mine are sort of an exploration of possibilities, and are 'new forms' that may provide a cross-referencing of ideas and information born from my personal environment, and a collapsed historical frame of reference.

I approach my work instinctively allowing materials and objects to dictate the design of my pieces. My process is linear in that I 'begin' with an object, as though it is the first piece of a puzzle and my task becomes constructing the rest of it. Although I have an idea of what it is that I want to achieve, I am uncertain of how it is to be built. It is within the problem solving processes of construction that I feel most creative and expressive as an artist. With the piece circumscription for example, I knew that I wanted to suspend a kettle gourd inside of a frame, but I did not think through the process until I came to that particular step. The challenge of coming up with a way of suspending the gourd with straps of leather that looked like they were coming from its interior, without showing the device, was the most exciting part of making the piece. Creating something step by step may seem like an arbitrary way of putting it together, but for me it is where the enjoyment lies, as if I am some sort of scientist solving the puzzle at the same time it is being invented.

The meaning or content of my work for the most part is indefinable. That is because I don't create works with the intention of expressing meaning. I choose to combine certain things based on formal aspects suggested by the found objects or by certain construction solutions. However, I am aware that the work is always subject to interpretation, being read as meaning. It seems the associative and conceptualizing activities of the human mind, go on constantly and transpire in an instant, thus we see everything within some frame of meaning. (Mc Evilley, 6). So, as Thomas Mc Evilley suggest, everything means 'something' to 'someone', which echoes Cragg's notion that all things are carriers of information. Cragg's work is simultaneously reminiscent of modernity and antiquity that have both industrial and biological associations. His objects are not about anything in particular; they are visualized ideas that the artist comes up with through playing with and cross-referencing other objects and materials. According to Cragg, his sculptures are "fictional entities where decisions are made entirely on an aesthetic basis and the material finds itself in a new form and the sculptor finds himself with new content and meaning." (Malmo). His piece titled Fruit Bottles is a work made up of seven large steel forms that reference the shape of small plastic fruit shaped bottles that juice comes in. By using these forms, blowing them up in scale, and casting them in steel, it is as though he has created a type of monument to plastic man made containers; not to new ones, but to discarded or used ones, as if this gives them more importance. Their funny fruit shapes and screw tops give them playful character, and depict Cragg's sense of humor.

Using aged or discarded things to create a new object is a rebirthing of these items. These objects had to die in order to become something else, suggesting they have a way out of an impending fate, and can escape the constraints of time. When considering my relief sculpture titled inveteration, upon first glance it looks like a rusted hunk of iron that could have been taken from the bottom of the river. Then upon closer inspection it becomes realized that it is made up of organic forms, and its content becomes more complex. It is made from organic remains like gourds and shells, as well as industrial items like hardware and bottles. The actual objects are not used, it is a cast of these materials which were themselves remains to begin with and I have transformed them into a sort of a fossil of my own, thus making them an object that is a trace of the items twice removed. What I have done with this piece is created a new form by removing the objects original identity and giving them new content by referencing them in their fossilized form. Due to the cross-referencing of materials and by combining them with the 'look' of rusty iron, the result is an object that doesn't belong to any one time in particular, and it has a quality about it that suggest it may have 'fallen out' of time, or that it is timeless.

The process of construction and the evidence of good craftsmanship are important aspects of my work. I consider myself a craftsperson as well as an artist. By calling myself a craftsperson, I am simply referring to myself as one who makes things by hand. There is usually some controversy when art is referred to as craft, and vice verse, because many people like to consider the fine arts as having some sort of hierarchy over traditional crafts, or functional hand made items. Sculptor Martin Puryear commented that he has always been troubled by the separation of art/craft in America, and he acquired most of his education and respect of crafting while working in older cultures, like West Africa. He feels as though Americans make it a matter of class; Art meaning thought, and labor meaning craft. He points out that in cultures like Japan, crafters are held as national treasures (Huges, 2).

Puryear uses mostly organic materials like wood, but he often combines it with industrial materials like in the case of the piece titled Keeper. This piece is constructed of pine and steel wire, and is reminiscent of certain types of fishing nets. His larger wooden structures are built much like manmade constructions, or primitive dwellings. Many of them are deceiving to the eye because they seem like solid massive forms, yet they are hollow inside like a cave. Puryear also worked on a series of structures that show evidence of the actual act of crafting. The piece titled Thicket is what seems to be the shell or skeleton of one of his more solid works. This piece is constructed of chunky planks of wood, fastened together with wooden pegs. This type of construction is common among woodworking cultures like those Puryear encountered, as well as more familiar cultures in America like the Amish or Mennonites. Much like how the natives in other cultures believe that true creativity can only be achieved through the mastery of one's own craft, Puryear feels that true expression comes to fruition in the interaction of the artist with the building process of the works themselves. (Benzerzra, 52). With my work, it is though I am mastering the object, and in a sense, my own environment.

Working with concrete materials, allows for 'hands on' physical control that working in a two- dimensional manor simply cannot provide. When I do create a more two-dimensional piece, I still approach it as though I am making 'something'. Recently I have rediscovered the activity of mark making, and how I can use physical energy to create an image. To make these drawings, I start with a piece of wood and cover it with a few layers of paper in order to create a smooth but sturdy surface. Then I use several different ink and felt-tip pens to make layer upon layer upon layer of 'scribbles' in order to completely cover the entire surface of the piece. With the piece titled continuation, I continued to make these layers of marks until I noticed the incredible forms that were emerging through the surface of the marks. I did my best to not be too aware of what images were being developed so that they would remain to be true forms of expression, and not turn into some intended or recognizable images. I feel that the forms that are created are strictly a result of my interaction with the materials, and are a tangible transformation of energy. The result looks like this sampling of some 'other' world, or alter universe where these forms exist within me, but can only be seen when I expel the energy to create them. Much like the way my constructed objects show a great investment of my time, my abstract drawings also seem to express my labor involved with making the piece.

The specific ways I choose to construct a work, in other words, my process of making is central to the basic nature of each piece. How the materials are arranged and manipulated expresses the temperament and aesthetic sensibilities of the artist, and in turn become part of the works content. In the case of my aforementioned piece circumscription, it was important to me that the attachment was not visible on the gourd, because I wanted the straps to seem as though they were coming from inside of the gourd itself, as though they were a part of it. In contrast, I accentuated the attachment of the straps onto the outside of the frame. I wanted to use rusty nails that I had collected as an aesthetic detail of the piece, and I wanted them to not only be visible, but to be an intricate part of it. There are about 80 straps in all, and each was placed in a random but not arbitrary spot, which is an example of my intuitive way of putting something together. I knew how many there were, but did nothing to ensure any type of division or logic to where they would be placed. I simply put them where they 'felt' right. I tied each strap by hand, leaving each knot to show evidence of being hand tied, and the time invested with the crafting of the object.

I identify with artist like Eva Hesse who had a particular need to deal with 'real materials' because it was important to her that she was able to work with and control things in life that are concrete. Hesse's earlier work was mostly two-dimensional. She made highly expressive abstract paintings that did not satisfy her need to create a tangible object. She then began working with materials for which there was no history in established art making, and her work came off of the walls. She incorporated common products like rubber hoses and hardware with handmade items. Her work reflected her personality and has been referred to as being "introspectively, obsessively handmade" (Jacob). For example, many of her works use found objects as a base, but she worked to make them her own by covering them with paper mache', paint, and other materials. The piece titled Ishtar is one object, yet it is made of many, it contains: twenty cord-bound and painted hemispheres with black plastic cords protruding from their centers, mounted on heavy paper stapled and nailed to wood, paper gessoed and painted with acrylic. It seems as though Hesse's hand working of the objects is the actual transformation that they under go in order to become something else, and all of the individual binding processes are paramount to the work. My work, although less obsessive is a product and reflection of my physical labor, and is based more on my constructivist sensibilities rather than my personality per-say.

I feel as though my sculptures are born from me and are essentially a part of me, and I do not feel this could be obtained in any way other than a tangible manipulation of materials and handling of the work itself. The process of my work is instinctively approached and then becomes a series of problem solving steps, until my pieces are completed. My work directly reflects my environment, and my personal sensibilities. Overall, I work to produce unique art objects that are visually interesting, and open to varied interpretations, as they are comprised of objects that have been released of their specific identities in order to become 'new forms'.

Works Cited:
1. Martin Puryear, Benzezra, Neal, essays by Robert Storr. Thames and Hudson, The Art Institute of Chicago, 1991.
2. http://www.thepander.co.nz/art/interviews/dfraser3.php. Fraser, Donald, interview with Tony Cragg.
3. http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/americasbest/pro.mpuryear.html Huges, Robert. 1/16/2003.
4. http://www.uol.com.br/bienal/24bienal/nuh/inuhhesmit02a.htm Containment and Chaos: Eva Hesse and Robert Smithson. Jacob, Mary Jane. XXIV Bienal de Sao Paul.
5. http://www.artmag.com/museums/a_sued/malmo/cragg.html Review of Tony Cragg's work connoisseur, 2000. Exhibition at Malmo Konsthall.
6. Art & Discontent, Theory at the Millennium. Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird. McEvilley, Thomas. McPherson & Company.





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