Statement

 

I have created small figurines with objects, mounted within the confines of a larger hand made wooden vitrine, glazed with plastic sheeting. These models are sculpted with different textures of impasto covered with silver black and gold paint. The background comprises complimentary graphite marks on off white, flat paper. A small sculpture of a person or animal has been placed within to add scale, whimsy and atmosphere, and could possibly represent me.

Working with layers, the fundamental base layer is the graphite on paper which acts as a balance to the main object which is more concentrated in size, colour and texture. I also take this idea of layers further by adding three-dimensional objects of a certain scale, sometimes with a single miniature of a person. A subsequent covering has been crafted by hand, in the form of a pine frame using imperfect basic carpentry which is dark in colour and is almost on the scale of a display case. My small caricature is rendered separately, but always with the frame and background in mind.
I have already created oil paintings using these models within the Diorama as a reference, I would like to explore this idea further by exhibiting them both together, wall hung and possibly as a single exhibit.   

 

I have always been fascinated with stop-frame animation, but have neither the patience nor talent to ever make one. I see this work as a salute to those who have these attributes, the ability to create moving imaginary worlds full of poetry and ambience. I like to think that I have set the scene for a single frame of a film, where the statuette is the main protagonist and the embellished vitrine is the theatre. This has been a personal project to find a language of my own, a signature. The plan is to use this language to express myself on all topics including but not exclusively the environment.