 |
 |
| Senior Honors Art Exhibition, May 2003, Southwestern University at Georgetown, Texas "Persistent Balance" Artist Statement |
| Life is a constant struggle for balance. To maintain stability, one must react to whatever conditions arise. In this group of work, I am most interested in the pursuit of stability and the enduring psychological state. Each piece is an examination of an emotional situation in which the figure is put in juxtaposition with objects and their environment. By placing these human forms within settings, I hope to create scenes or situations that represent an array of emotional states. For example, within the coliseum-like structure stands a figure entrapped in fear. He appears frightful of what is unseen in its surroundings. In an attempt to defend himself, the character causes more harm than good by dismembering his leg to use as a weapon. This piece represents the harms of needless fear and its consequences. Not all of the sculptures deal with struggle and conflict. Some embrace the contentment experienced through a state of balance. For example, in 'Harmony,' the figure appears to be in perfect accord with the sphere beneath. It expresses a sense of balance or perfect harmony between the body and its surroundings. The piece, 'Euphoria,'? also exudes bliss with regards to stability, and it demonstrates the power of human will. Several artists have influenced me in the creation of this work. Marc Quinn's series of torsos depict the body as a fragmented, battered, and exhausted subject. He detaches various body parts which are then extended from the body, and this forces the viewer to realize new meanings for our extremities. What is most beautiful to me is the way these fragmented bodies maintain a sense of composure and unity. Another influence is Kiki Smith. Her sculpture consistently demonstrates that our bodies will not go on forever, and are susceptible to death and decay. This type of work inspires me to explore the themes of self and mortality. With regards to process, I began this collection of work by creating a set of small bronze figures. These figures were initially sculpted out of wax and then cast into bronze using the 'lost wax' process. Through the creation of this set, I intended to explore the way in which the human body expresses itself, although I felt they lacked a sense of presence due to their scale. I aimed to compensate this insufficiency by creating architecturally suggestive environments. I experimented with different materials such as wood and metal, but eventually chose clay. Ceramic materials have inherent natural qualities such as texture and weight that are reminiscent of our own environment. The addition of the environments resulted in a pleasant combination of the human figure and object like surroundings. The next goal was to create a figure that appeared complete in and of itself without the aid of a constructed enviroment. Using the same sculptural style of the small bronze figures, I completed the two life-size hanging figures. The internal structure is wooden which was then encased with wire mesh. Gauze saturated with plaster was draped until completely covering the body. The group of rapid prototyped figures was created at Arizona State University's PRISM labs. Through the Mundy Fellowship Award, I had the opportunity to work with Professor Mary Visser in exploring the figurative sculptural uses of Rapid Prototyping technology. The process involves designing the sculpture with computer software and then directly printing the form using a rapid prototyping machine. "...the object of art is not to reproduce reality, but to create a reality of the same intensity." ~ Alberto Giacometti |
| 'Persistent Balance' Senior Exhibition continue: 'persistent balance' |
| 'Persistent Balance' Senior Exhibition continue: 'persistent balance' |