artists register

Introduction

My "fine art" works are all carved relief panels and carved and constructed wall mounted pieces. Current themes which I am developing come from how stuff is marketed to us, the stage shows of shop windows and glossy magazines, and how I am as a man distractable by how women look; this in turn starts off my investigation into the way our culture exploits female sexuality and traps men like me in the illusion of unfading appearance, youth and beauty, stuck in eternal desire. I have also been exploring using string and aluminium foil for its quasi stained glass reflective effect.

Alongside this work, I show my public and private commissioned work for signage, sculptural furniture, and commemorative objects; the results of projects with schools and community groups.

Finally I include examples of my carved woodware - dishes, bowls, platters, scoops, pendants and paperknives made from a variety of woods.

Statement

What am I up to now? Firstly, I still take pleasure in working with wood, how it behaves, how it cuts with sharp tools, the feel and the smell of it. Very important to me are the physical processes of making with wood and the craft skills involved in art making. Secondly, I use relief carving to unite picture making with the physical deliberateness of carving, to combine colour with the crisp use of light and shade and to play with shape, form, pattern, and textures. My drawing has to be clear and concise so as to translate into images that are efficiently carveable. This is the language and material I use to make sense of all the things we celebrate and worry about. Particularly, my desires, my wants and needs, and my sexuality as the force that drives my actions and reactions, my content and discontent; the energy that creates and destroys. Hence, as a man, I look at the swing of a girl’s skirt, the curl of her hair, as she sashays past, and enjoy all the shapes, forms and textures that express her vitality. Another starting point is the imagery of advertising that exhorts us to buy. While on one level I might comment on the aspirations advertising exploits, on another, I simply enjoy the shapes and forms of the perfume and shampoo bottles, the elegant handbags, watches and shoes, and the mobile phones that advertising portrays. While I might imply a critical view about consumption, over production, food that is edible only if it has a label on it, the commodification of everything, and the loneliness of bus stops as the cars drive by, I am still a child playing in the sand. As a continuing practice alongside all of this is my observational work with all natural forms.

Biography