Self Interview - Recreating Reality
Q. What is the relevance of recreating these found surfaces with art materials?
A. There is a beauty in something that has been changed by the environment - Wabi Sabi is the art of appreciating something being imperfect - this seems to connect to us as an artefact might - it has had use, it has a history and it is a mysterious object. I have spent much time looking at different art and craft works and trying to understand why one piece 'works' but another does not. I knew one looked good, the other looked contrived but I could not make sense of it. The contrived pieces appear quickly made with little thought, copies of an object in a less suitable material, and has superficial detail.
The better ones look as though they are inspired by nature, some look as though they were created by nature, but still must have been created by human hand (to be considered an art object or have a function as a craft object). This object may look as though it has always 'been'; its patterns/textures are as a result of a different process - not created directly by the hand of a human working from design or with intention. The texture or pattern have multiple levels of interest; like fractals producing self similar forms. An artist using less control will allow the material to add this deeper interest according to the intrinsic properties of the material. Objects also appear contrived if the art material is used to copy/replicate or replace another material that the design or function is closer to. The better pieces have a way of imbuing the object with characteristics of the source inspiration, they do not attempt to copy it.
So in summary, the reason I attempt to replicate these found surfaces is an attempt to improve my work, by creating real objects rather than artificial ones - without having to wait 60 years for weathering to take effect.
