I have been working as an Artist/Sculptor for over 30 years.
While I paint, draw, sculpt and do performance pieces, objects speak to me the most: both natural and manmade, but I am particularly drawn to biomorphic shapes. In terms of forms I love texture as well as shape and on a purely formal level things like balance, contrast and tension interest me.
Where does my art/ideas/shapes come from?
I believe we are all connected thru energy or a collective/web, We just manifest ourselves differently in how we appear physically to others both animate and inanimate. I think artist tap into that collective subconscious or unconscious, but we as individuals are like filters, expressing what comes thru differently.
For the past 12 years or so I have been haunted/pestered with certain forms in various states of completion. These images won't leave me alone until I make them, sometimes not until I figure out how to complete them. As I make them they often spawn new forms. It feels like I have seen part of a mystery and its up to me to solve them?
As I have made these pieces it seems clearer to me that they are a lot about the place and process of transformation and this is a big part of who I am. It may sound strange but that place in-between where one thing becomes something else is where I find the most completion! Most of us would call that ambiguity, but for these forms and me, at least it feels clear or right.
About my medium:
In the early days my medium was assemblage/ found/mixed-media. I still like the contrast between organic an inorganic so sometimes you will find me mixing these forms with found objects that speak to me as well. Currently you could call my media fine art paper mache/clay, composite or laminated recycled paper. I have played around with commercial products and still use them some times, but I wanted something that used; recycled material, was non-toxic and relatively inexpensive so I developed my own recipes and techniques which led me to starting *Sbts. What my new medium does is allow me to make both large and small pieces as well as reusing the initial forms until I get it right . I know people view paper mache as being for crafts only and not a real art material, but I beg to differ and if you go thru history you will find that just like any other art material if well taken care of will can last centuries! After all it's really just recycled wood with binders added. My hope is with time more artists find this medium as useful and expressive as I have and will see the potential of fine art paper mache/clay.
www.richwaltonart.com
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