Artists Describing Their Art:
James Johnson - The basis of my work is the exploration of universal patterns of being common to everyone such as shadow, hero, or trickster. My interest in patterns of being is a fascination that we all share common behaviors or emotions that can be understood singularly. Each pattern of being may be expressed as a figurative sculpture of hand cast aluminum alloy at half-life scale. Patterns of being may be referenced with Jungian archetypes. My hope is to make patterns of being more visible and tangible...
Esmoreit Koetsier - Sculpture for me has been redefined by where life has taken me. When I started in my early twenties, I had no idea that my simple flat pieces of steel were going to lead to mixed-materials and colorful fluid shapes. With each piece I challenge myself and push the envelope just a little more. I look outside of the traditional materials and discover new techniques. What has stayed true is that my work is an experiment with shapes, forms, objects, colors, arrangements, and materials. IaEURtmm inspired by my surroundings and journeys as well as artists working with different medias. ...
Rufus Adeniyi - I am a widely traveled Nigerian Aesthetics consultant. A graduate of University of London, Goldsmith. I believed in Art as a way of life and a reflection of the spiritual and socio-economic life of the people. My flair for natural things of beauty has no measure. Apart from my Art gallery, I also run a consultancy firm in all forms of artistic embellishment in fine furnishing for corporate bodies, private individuals and diplomatic missions. Married and strongly believe in modesty and fair play....
Gunnel Watkins - My intention is to experience creative expression inside the context of the transpersonal. transaEURC/peraEURC/sonaEURC/al/transE^pEtmrsEtmnl/ Adjective: Of, denoting, or dealing with states or areas of consciousness beyond the limits of personal identity. Forms arise spontaneously and naturally from present circumstancesaEUR|..reflection, meditation, dreams and ritual open up dialogues with form bringing mind and heart back into balanceaEUR|aEUR|.central to my artistic expression, is the premise, that the art-making process is salutary in and of itself. I work with art and people with special needs; and, as an end-of-life Doula. aEURoeWhen the soul wants to experience something, she throws out an image in front of her and steps into it aEURoe Meister Eckhart ...
Daniel Oliveira - My art is about line and space / chaos and order. The search for this visual metaphor drove me into working with stone. I start by looking at each rock to seek for it's inner structure. These sculptures result from a similar building process, where the intersection of lines cut through the irregular formless matter revealing a secret structure embedded within each individual stone. By doing so, a new visual dimension created by matter and the absence of matter is revealed, as if each sculpture was made of individual building blocks organized to create an abstract entity or system and the combination of these units were the key to what defines the sculptural shape and ultimately the original untouched rock, as a group of things or parts connected in some way so as to form a whole. Daniel Oliveira...
Don Dougan - My work comprises both abstracted and figurative imagery executed in a variety of mixed materials, with stone being the predominate medium. Other materials used (usually in conjunction with stone) include foundry cast metals, carved and joined wood, cast and fabricated plastics, cold-worked and kiln-formed glass, cast and carved hydraulic cements, cast/formed paper, welded/fabricated metals, gilding, and found/assembled objects. The more abstracted imagery is worked in pedestal pieces, large freestanding sculptures, and in wall-mounted relief sculptures. The figurative lip series is usually presented in wall-mounted reliefs, deep shadowbox framing, and occasionally as either a pedestal piece or a large freestanding work. The most recently begun series of work comprises pedestal-sized pieces using the imagery of the ship or the boat hull. Each series or each type of work allows me to express aspects of the human condition - the more abstracted works tend to reveal a more universal emotional/rational characterization of subject matter, the lip series tends to allow sensuality, humor, and more visceral expressions, while the ship series delves into personal/cultural memories and emotional journeys. For more images and information on myself, my work, and my working methods please visit my ...
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. ...
Dermot O'Brien - Over the past fifteen years i have developed my own very unique art form working with wood and light. Using light as an added dimension to highlight the spaces between the wood a new sculpture is created. The sculptures always consist of several shapes the light exploring and defining the relationship between the bodies....
Bart Soutendijk - I have been making Wire Wall Murals on a commission basis since 1972. A Wire Wall Mural is the final step in a simplification process that starts with a photograph or group of photographs. I make and remake the line drawing to emphasize only the essence of the subject. I ask, myself: "What is it about this image that makes is unique." Then I strip away the lines that are not required to convey that quality. Finally, like the poet who reviews every word, I re-examine every turn and curve as I bend the wire into that image -- a large line drawing in space. The final installation, a solid line in front of a moving shadow, has scale enough to suit a large space without dominating the room. After I make a wire wall sculpture I hang it up and "live with it" for a while. Sometimes I cut away additional material, add more, or change bends before I consider the sculpture ready for a home, gallery, or museum. I say: Nothing is permanent, as long as you have pliers. ...
Karen Reinert - Most of what I learned about being an artist came from the fact that my Father was a Fine Arts professor at the University of Chattanooga at Tennessee during the 70's and 80's. He is a public arts sculptor now, and he has just completed The Limerick Cows in Ireland. His name is Jim Collins, perhaps you've heard of him. I studied Advertising Art in college but was bored with the lack of raw creativity with Ad Art, so I decided to make art the way "Folk" artists do. You could say I'm a modern folk artist. I love to combine nature and art. There is nothing more important than the nurturing of artistic endeavor. ...