Artists Describing Their Art:
Robert Pulley - A friend told me recently that it was helpul for her to know how an art work is created and how the artist thinks. That led me to consider what I have to say about my art work. When one looks at my sculpture I hope one sees strength, mystery, sensuousness, spiritual energy and more. How these constructions in modeled clay can stir such responsed in myself and others is a mystery to me, but I can say something about my methods and way of thinking. I have always been intuitive, reactive and spontaneous. I love improvisation, expression and the power of chance and serendipity. This may not seem obvious in large pieces that must be carefully crafted over weeks or months. Here is how it works. When I began the first pieces in this body of work many years ago they were purely improvisational. I would begin each piece with a flat slab of clay that I cut into a shape that would be the bottom of the sculpture. I usually had a vague idea of the proportions I wanted. This general notion set the theme within which I worked. In the manner of free jazz I would consider ...
Elizabeth Frank - My artworks begin with fallen aspen branches. I make at least one trip annually to the mountains of the southwestern United States to gather the aspen that I'll use over the course of the year. My visits to the forest are like a pilgrimage. Every time I return I'm inspired by the strength and the delicacy of the natural world. After the aspen is collected it's dried in a room on my studio roof. Once dry, I cut and shape the rough branches with a band saw. Next I make a puzzle of all the odd parts. I spread them out on the floor, stack them up on a table and move them around until everything fits. The pieces are carved in small components that are joined together with pegs and nails. The surface is painted with acrylic, metal leaf and wax. I combine my carvings with found objects. The carving style is simple, inspired by iconic images found in folk, tribal and primitive art. The themes I use are personal yet universal. My love of the natural world and my concern for the environment translate into works about the intricate relationship between man and nature. I ...
Gabor Bertalan - CURRICULUM VITAE I WAS BORN IN SALGOTARJAN, HUNGARY IN 1956. I ATTENDED SCHOOL IN BUDAPEST. I LEARNED SCULPTURAL ARTS THROUGH PRIVATE CHANNELS, PARTLY IN HUNGARY UNDER THE DIRECTIONS AND WITH THE HELP OF ATTILA BOBALY AND JOZSEF SOMOGYI, AND PARTLY IN MENTON, FRANCE. IN 1996 I ATTENDED THE SUMMER ART ACADEMY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED ARTS IN BUDAPEST. I HAD INDIVIDUAL EXHIBITIONS IN THE MADACH GALLERY OF SALGOTARJAN IN 1993, IN THE SERBIAN CHURCH OF BALASSAGYARMAT IN 1997, AND IN THE UJPEST GALLERY IN 2004. GROUP EXHIBITIONS: 1993: SZECSENY 1995: BUDAPEST, MENTON 1996: BALASSAGYARMAT, SALGOTARJAN, NAGYATAD 1999, 2000, 2003, 2005: SALGOTARJAN - SPRING EXHIBITION, OPEN-AIR SCULPTURE EXHIBITION 2000: CANNES 2005: NAGYATAD, NATIONAL EXHIBITION OF WOOD SCULPTURES SZECSENY, WINTER EXHIBITION - PRIZE OF THE TOWN OF SALGOTARJAN CURRENTLY I LIVE AND WORK IN BUDAPEST. INITIALLY I WORKED EXCLUSIVELY WITH WOOD. NOW THE MATERIAL OF MY SCULPTURES IS MAINLY WAX AND BRONZE CAST AFTER A WAX MOULD. MY THOUGHTS, FEELINGS AND THE PLASTIC FORMS GUIDED BY THE FORMER ARE FOCUSED ON TWO MAIN CONCEPTS: "NATURALNESS AND SIMPLICITY" ...
Yves Goyatton - My current body of work represents my fascination with the mystery of abstract shapes and their juxtaposition with human form.A My work has taken this concept most literally by combining the human form and the abstracted shapes of modern landscapes. aEUR"I am a process-oriented artist. The process is what drives my work from one piece to the next. I am constantly exploring my personal boundaries. I am inspired by all the steps in which art is made I am not afraid to face the difficulties the process requires of myself, so long as I continue to learn and grow from it.A The process allows me to conquer problems these challenges allow new points of departure for the next works. aEUR"I enjoy composing in a fusion between these two elements. I conceive my workA primarily as abstract with anthropomorphic elements.A It is important for me to begin with an idea, but remain malleable to the end result. It is most important to me that the piece reflects a refined aesthetic, which I can only describe when I am visually satisfied. This becomes my new boundary for the next work to exceed what I have done before without duplication. aEUR"The work ...
Yves Goyatton -
Jack Hill - All of my sculptural work is bronze, cast in the "lost wax" technique. Besides sculpting the original work, I am hands on with all the phases of the casting process, including the molds, waxes, metal, and application of the patinas. My foundry experience allows me to ensure the quality and integrity of each idea, from inspiration to final presentation. The ideas are born from observation of the human existence, in all its splendor and absurdity. The addition of my own whimsy and uncommon approach brings about an expression of life in the permanence of bronze. People are only one part of the whole planet and my anthropomorphic works are an exploration of the blending of man into various parts of the environment. With attention to anatomic detail and a tongue-in-cheek twist I wish to stimulate the imagination and, maybe, tickle the funny bone. Questions? Call me at 305/240-3238 A new line of work has been added that I call "Body Armor". The human form is treated as if skin was an armor that could be put on or removed as needed. If it had been lost long ago and recently rediscovered, what would it look like. ...
Mark Porter - Artist webpage: www.markportersculpture.com Fusing found objects and his own custom-made creations, Mark Porter produces one-of-a-kind pieces that gradually transform themselves -- and the gallery -- as the show progresses. The mechanical-drawings-turned-sculptures in Nurture/Alter mimic the irregularity of human actions and portray narratives through a series of projected images, videos, and fluid expulsions. Porter places his project blueprints next to the sculptures to aid in the understanding of their development, which continues free of his influence for the duration of the exhibition. Check out the show sooner than later, though, so you can observe the counterproductive movements of Porter's work before it slowly self-destructs. - Morgan Phelps...
Michael Tieman - As Michael Tieman sees it, "The role of an artist from the dawn of time has been as a visual storyteller. The stories my paintings and sculpture tell are ones of confidence, strength, passion, playful sophistication and the celebration of life." "I create my bronze sculpture as a three dimensional painting, texture becomes the Impressionistic impasto brushstroke, color is the play of light and shadows across the surfaces, and detail is the impression of movement." ...
Cecile Tissot - Statement in English and French/ Presentation en anglais et francais * * * * * * * * * * * * Born in 1970, currently lives and works in Paris and Boulogne-Billancourt. I have been sculpting for about 15 years, after I discovered carving in London in 1997. I have been since then following a personal way in sculpture, mostly in stone and wood carving. I also work directly in nature through landart projects. Most of my works deal with the sacred, emptiness, traces, and link presence and absence - I attempt to emphasise the shy, the almost-nothing, the sensitive. My latest works tend towards verticality and nomadism, in an attempt to create, through their installation, ephemerical holy places - small or big. * * * * * * * * * * * * Nee en 1970, vit et travaille a Paris et Boulogne-Billancourt. Artiste-sculpteur depuis une quinzaine d'annees, j'ai decouvert la taille directe a Londres en 1997 et suis depuis dans un chemin personnel de sculpture en taille directe - je travaille la pierre et le bois. J'interviens aussi directement dans la nature a travers des projets de landart. La plupart de mes travaux traitent du sacre, de l'absence-presence, du vide, des traces - je tente de mettre en valeur le tenu, ...
Stefan Van Der Ende - My sculptures are Solutions for Non/existing Problems . Now is the time to collect them. They are rare and unique ,and there are not many of them , also due to the big amount of time it takes to make the biggerones in wood and stone . They are made dreaming/thinking and working intensively , whith the intention to be able communicate emotion through their abstract/associative visual appearence which relate to subconcious processes in the human mind .(specialy mine ofcourse ) There are often more pictures of one sculpture , because ,as you know you have to see sculptures from more sides , to get a good impression . Mijn sculpturen zijn oplossingen voor niet /bestaande problemen . het is nu de tijde om ze te gaan verzamelen Ze zijn zeldzaam en speciaal , en er zijn er niet zoveel te koop , ook als gevolg van het feit dat het een grote hoeveelheid tijd kost om ze te maken ( speciaal die in hout en steen ) Ze worden gemaakt in een intensief proces van denken dromen en werken . Met het doel uiteindelijk via hun abstract/associatieve visuele aanwezigheid emoties via abstracte vorm te communiceren via de interpreatie van de beschouwer .door het raken van onderbewuste oude lagen in ...
Paul Carbo - I started messing round with wood in 1999 while still working as a graphic artist for the Los Angeles Times. We all worked on computers at that time and I was craving to do art with my hands like we used to back in the "dim time" before computers. I initially started to build small functional art pieces for children. Things like paper and pencil holders. I then progressed to larger caricatures of famous people I thought kids should be aware of like Abe Lincoln and Mark Twain, still intended as furniture for children. I would store the finished cabinets in my living room. They mingled well with my other furniture and and found I using them to store CD's,books ans such. At that point I said to myself " Why wouldn't grown-ups like this kinda thing"? I left my job at the newspaper, forged on and continued to build....
Paul Orzech - Paul Orzech Sculpture Studio Artist Statement: The heart of my artwork is expressed by the words "Classical form with a modern edge." As an artist, I feel the need to incorporate the classic concepts of the human figure from the Ancient Greek and Italian Renaissance periods, with the more message-oriented elements of today's art. My belief in the beauty and power of the raw human form is exquisitely celebrated in the classical forms of sculpture. The modern themes I treat in my art include feminism; contemporary ideas of spirituality and love; and the all consuming presence time plays in our fast-paced American lives. I feel there is a quiet strength in the combination of established classics and contemporary expression that demonstrates a smooth continuity of social history. ...
Stan Harmon - Retirement brought Stan Harmon's passion into the daylight. Finally quitting his "day job", after a career with an environmental water management company, Harmon found himself able to devote more time to artistic endeavors that he had previously crammed into late night hours after everyone else was asleep. Following his dream to learn to blow glass he enrolled at the famous Penland School of Craft in the North Carolina mountains, quickly succumbing to the addictive nature of glass blowing. However, blowing glass requires at least one helper and that wouldn't fit into his new schedule (which was no schedule). Not to mention the constant overhead involved in firing a glass furnace 24/7. While at Penland, Harmon was introduced to the technique of kiln-forming glass which being taught in the next studio. This proved to be the best of both worlds, embracing the serendipity of hot glass creation and the advantages of a flexible schedule because a computer runs the kiln, taking care of the most time consuming aspects of creation. Thus no helper was needed, no outrageous gas bill to stress about, and still reaping the creative opportunities afforded by hot glass. Kiln-formed or fused glass ...