My work focuses on the inner beauty of the ‘every day’ things that adults tend to take at face value or merely overlook or make assumptions about. As adults we do not have the time to study everything we see, because through necessity, our daily regime becomes our obsession. Brancusi said ‘When we are no longer children, we are already dead’ and the young have an inquisitiveness that enables them to investigate without the prejudgements embedded in an adult.
I want to make my audience revisit their visual judgement of objects through simplification of form, disclosing new insights to the work on display. To achieve this goal with my ephemeral sculpture, I ignore the easily recognisable visual signifiers and simplify form to the bare essence, normally hidden to the casual glance. With both types of sculpture displayed on the website this process often leads to a series of forms as the simplification progresses. As Brancusi pointed out, ‘There is something more to a horse than the mere corpse.’ By ‘corpse’ he implies the naturalistic signifiers of head, torso and limbs.
Media and fashion dictates to Society what is superficially aesthetically pleasing to the eye and may ignore the inner essence which I feel often more worthy of consideration. Examples of this surround us each day, animals that are bred with imperfections not normal to their breed; people undergoing self abuse and surgery to be socially acceptable.
My ideas develop through observation. Normally I will see another way of looking at a subject that has caught my eye or been under discussion. With sculpture, I start by sketching the naturalistic features and then re sketching until I can remove every unnecessary signifier. Once the form is achieved it will inform me which technique or materials I should use to make the work, although this can sometimes be very experimental as some parts of the process may not give the expected outcome first desired. In many cases the process of making will completely change the original idea and something new will come from it which will divorce the form from the original theme and the work will become an object in its own right. Some works may imply narcissism whilst some forms may become unintentionally sexually suggestive.
The finished pieces are untitled to free the viewer from a signifier because as Rosalind Krauss suggests, the work would then become ‘inert matter impregnated with vital essence that rendered it organic.’ My intention for the viewer is that the item viewed would be open to many interpretations.
I am currently studying at the University for the Creative Arts for a BA (Hons) Fine Art and have been working closely with Swale Borough Council with the SEEDA regeneration project on Sheppey, Kent. I have been shortlisted in a landmark project to be placed on the new Queenborough Marina, and have worked with Stephen Turner on his public art project funded by KNLAAP in collaboration with Arts Council England, South East and RSPB. I have recently completed a commission funded by Swale Borough Council to make a public artwork, with the aim of raising awareness for the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012. Also you will see my design on a book-jacket currently in circulation written by local author Nikki Curtis.
A travelling artist from New Zealand showed the ‘wet on wet’ method to me and insisted on bright colours to make the paintings work. Our British colour palette is so subdued in comparison. It is the brightness of colour that makes the poppy paintings work so well.
©Tillys Art 2011