SCULPTURE SEASON

SPARK by Sea Dean 18” x 18” approx.

Being an art lover and sometime collector, I’ve spent thousands of hours looking at art. I have very eclectic taste from energetic abstract, to bucolic landscape and I love the variety presented with such ease of access on the internet. It can be very distracting and belittling at times.

When I first returned to painting about 15 years ago, I did so to distract me from caring for my father who was terminally ill. For many years I was totally dissatisfied with my work and frustrated that I couldnt move the images from my head and onto canvas. I’m pleased to say that I don't feel that way any more. I’m no longer attached to duplicating, my initial vision is merely a jumping off point, the inspiration for something even better that comes from wading in and getting my hands dirty.

This is particularly the case with my sculpture. With small pieces, I just assemble a variety of found objects from my stash and start moving and placing until it feels right. With larger pieces I often have an idea and then go to Google to see what others are doing. I like to see what is trending, but find a different way of expressing it. The current trend for natural texture, light and reflection really speaks to me, but I’m not sure I can keep my love of color within the natural spectrum.

So, now the festivities are over, I’m back in the studio and working on sculpture. As 3D is more popular outside my area and often requires long distance shipping over borders, I must be wary of prohibited substances, such as plant matter, as well as fragility, size and weight. Because I love nature and all things natural this is a real challenge, but the trick is to recreate something like a natural leaf in different media like metal or fibre. My home studio is tiny, and other studios I have access to are shared so I can’t spread out and leave things set up. So recently, I rented a garage to tinker in, sadly it has no heat or light, so I cant wait for the longer, more sunny days of spring.

In the meantime I’m working on smaller and less messy pieces that I can assemble in my in home studio. At least I don't have to drive on icy and snowy roads to get there.