Un-Natural Selections

Solo Show in Cuyahoga Falls

Posted Aug 23, 2012
Last Updated Jan 31, 2014

This show was my second solo. It took place from Jan. 7th to Jan. 28th 2011 at Studio 2091 in Cuyahoga Falls Ohio.

 

Unnatural Selections

          Natural selection is a key process in evolution by which organisms pass on their traits. These traits become more or less common in a given population due to persistent changes which effect the reproduction and survival of its genetic forbearers.

            Another form of selection is called artificial selection. Artificial selection occurs when human breeders select plants and animals for reproduction which possess traits desirable to human needs.

            The works of art in this show however, neither being a product of evolution nor of artificial selection, are created by a process I call unnatural selection. The pieces are unnatural in the sense that they lack a real biology and hence have no ability to replicate. Yet, with the guiding hand of the artist, these works do evolve over time. To achieve a sense of evolution in my work, I start with a basic design principle -- I then restrict myself to a few basic shapes, colors, and textures. The combination of these shapes, colors, and textures, as they are combined and recombined into an ever expanding array of patterns, create through repetition of form, dense and rich organic looking structures. My art work, in a sense, grows out of itself as it expands across whatever space it is I am working on.

            Recently, in an attempt to further blur the line between what is produced by nature and what is produced by the artist, I have begun to incorporate organic matter into my art pieces. I also use natural forces to help in the process of creation and transformation. Sometimes I use fire as means to sculpt with. The tension between controlling the fire as it sweeps across a structure I built, and the somewhat unpredictable nature of fire, adds a sense of volatility and randomness to my art work. I also use water and gravity in conjunction with one another to push dyes and paints down a surface and, as of late, I have begun to experiment with tidal forces, erosion, and decay.

            In viewing my art work, I hope the observer will realize that my art is not only an exploration into the structure of nature – an unnatural selection which blurs the distinction between what is organic and merely organic looking, but that every art piece is also in itself, an experiment which leads to new discoveries.  

 

For more info about the above mentioned gallery please click on the following link: 

http://www.studio2091.com

To view a slideshow of the "Unnatural Selections show please click on the folowing link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RusQIbWTVLk&list=PLBD0F2D34AB622CC2

 

 

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