The sea and the place where it meets the land have always held a fascination for me. I continue my exploration of objects that I find on the beaches of Newfoundland. My previous exhibition, titled Washed Up, focused on those objects of flotsam and jetsam we walk by and give little attention to. I retrieve these objects during my walks along the beaches, and in the studio I carve and cast sculptures that are based on their forms and their history. This process is representative of our shore lines, with its naturally polished, wave-action rounded stones. Our shore lines are lined with the discarded, lost, and dying husks of past. I believe we need to look at everything with open eyes, and approach these objects as metaphor and analogy. I leave the conclusions to the viewer. The "Washed Up" body of works uses as a referent those objects we might find washed up on any beach any where. I think these pieces reflect both nature and human nature. They are natural in their relation to the referent, and yet are man made objects, that have been manipulated and contextualized so as to achieve a response from a viewer. I have often felt that while I am carving the stone that I am involved in a conversation with the stone, and through this dialogue between myself and the medium we arrive at a compromise of form.
The abundance and beauty of the natural materials found in Newfoundland is the foundation for my art practice. The stone we have in this area is comparable to stone from Italy or Africa, and I have been an active spokesperson regarding the availability of natural resources in this area. In my work I would like to bring attention to the beauty of this material, as it has great potential as a material for artists and industry. I have been using our local marbles exclusively for the past six years, and have exhibited work locally and in Nova Scotia that features pieces carved from our stone.
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Artist Bio:
Born: Mooring Cove, Marystown, Newfoundland
I was introduced to drawing by my father who would often draw for me pictures of various schooners he had either been on, or seen. I would sit aside and mimic his drawings, and the interest grew. In High School, Ron Fredette my art teacher encouraged me to spend a week long program at Saint Michael's Print Shop with Don Wright. Don encouraged me to continue my studies by enrolling in the soon to start Diploma in Fine Arts Program at West Viking College, Stephenville. I studied there with Ray Mackie, as well as Newfoundland artist Gerry Squires, Scott Goudie. Once I had completed my two years there, I transferred to the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, where I received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree. I have since been working and exhibiting in the Atlantic Provinces. I have given professional development workshops in Stone Carving, and Building a bronze Furnace. I presently employed by Memorial University as Sculpture Technician, in their Fine Arts Dept.
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