Up Is Down VI Sculpture

"We look at the world through eyes of ancient mud." Straw Dogs, John Gray Whatever else weighs upon us, the pull of the Natural World is the strongest force that shapes our lives. Moving to the Fforest Fawr Geopark in the Brecon Beacons National Park has influenced my work enormously in the last 11 years. The limestone karst, the wild flow of water over and through the mountains, the volatile weather and the silence: I work out in the middle of it increasingly and finish the sculptures in the studio using music that sustains the feeling. My website describes the Series and how I work. Here is my formal Artist's Statement: Working within the traditions of the early 20th Century Modernist sculpture greats like Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore, it is important to balance inspiration with strict craftsmanship, technique and in-depth understanding of the medium. Faith and verity towards the material being central to the process. With this in mind, all of the artwork is focused on emotional description and unbroken connection with the natural world, the aspirational and the compassionate. Sculpture is a means of narrative melding context with form. Distinctly figurative works contain both endogenous and exterior depictions, while those that lean towards pure abstraction are more philosophical. Music, dance and intangible expression through tangible form make up the core of the work. Construction is a hands-on, visceral process. The clay and the techniques are chosen to generate active, expressive intensity that can be reflected through the permanent, finished artwork, locking the moment-to-moment inspiration and emotional engagement into the clay itself.