My interest has always been in drawing and painting, with a subject area focused mainly on people. During university, I have felt I’ve lost some of my passion in my methods. This has led me to try a variety of different avenues, exploring my creativity, to find my artistic identity and hopefully regain some of my original passion.
This year I have been looking at sculpture. Initially I was creating wigs using plants. I began to use wire mesh to create structures for my organic matter and I developed this idea to make sculptures that you wear which incorporated plant material. In time I became more interested in the effect of the wire, the shadows it creates and the visual looseness of the material.
I am drawn to the physical process of manipulating the wire material and in my body sculptures, the ways it correlates and contrasts with the body. The wire can be moulded to follow the contours of limbs to create a gentle even tender, impressionistic form. This is in stark contrast with the physical process.
I like the way the final result contrasts with process. The wire is so hard and resistant, it is sharp and abrasive against the skin, when my two working materials of flesh and wire come into contact, the wire leaves marks and damages the skin.
I have really enjoyed working on my 3D forms and specifically with wire, it’s interesting the way it moulds. I like that it is very hard and resistant to begin with but the more I work it, the more malleable it becomes. I particularly enjoy the visually illustrative approach to this sculptural, 3D work, it reminds me of how I started with art, in drawing.