sculpture – Circle Foundation for the Arts

Todd Jones

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Born in:1992, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
Lives in: Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
Education:Master of Fine Arts, Painting + Drawing, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, 2022 Graduate Certificate, Visual Arts Management, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, 2022 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Studio Art and Psychology, Minor: Art History, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, 2016 Associate of Arts, Liberal Arts, Tallahassee Community College, Tallahassee, FL, 2013
Describe your art in 3 words:excavating, sedimentary, and mistint
See More Work: https://www.taahd.com/

What themes does your current work involve?

Discarded and mistint house paints are manifestations of culture as they are forgotten in basements, garages, closets, and left behind by previous owners. Mistint house paints are orphaned in hardware stores by customers unsatisfied with their original color choices or when the store fails to create the desired hue or finish. Disconnected from the original owners and their intentions, mistint house paints are imbued with invisible individual memory and comprise a visible cultural history. Color carries a deep resonance, and choosing a paint color is rooted in psychological affects such as mood and behavior.

Describe your creative process.

Process plays a central role in my work as I recontextualize materials through my collection and intervention. Salvaging and molding layers of paint into newfound forms, these stratifications expose remnants and the foundation of their previous lives. I reformulate the discarded and mistint paints into a visual record of cultural history through material transformations by pouring numerous layers to create strata-like forms that mimic natural sedimentation. The new relationship of each color layer is exposed through excavation and creates a cultural snapshot that examines the development of our society through patterns of culture/identity shedding. These reconstructed objects focus on abandoned materials, critiquing the excessive waste of our contemporary consumerist ideology.

What influences your work? What inspires you? Why do you make art?

My work is influenced by and explores the thematic intersections of domestic space, geography, and geological process. The Material Art Movement that started in China during the 1980s inspires me. During this time, artists used unconventional materials to produce works in which material, rather than image or style, was paramount in developing the artist's social critique. I also make art to create my critique of society and discuss topics and issues today.

What are your goals and plans as an artist in 2023?

My goal as an artist in 2023 is to exhibit my work in more group and solo exhibitions, both national and international. I also want to engage in conversations about my research through artist presentations and continue to make an impact teaching in higher education. I would love to be a Visiting Artist at another college or university to engage in dialogue with students in other academic settings.

What is the role of the artist today?

An artist's role is to be true to themselves and to influence society for the better. Art plays an essential role in shaping the culture of a community. Art in contemporary culture is a dynamic blend of materials, methods, concepts, and subjects that challenge the traditional boundaries of art-making. Contemporary art reflects modern culture and provides resources for discussing current ideas and issues. The audience plays a crucial role in the artwork by contributing their experiences, opinions, and interpretations.

What is good art? What makes a piece of art great?

Good art can start a conversation and contribute to the dialog of society. I am drawn to material explorations and art that push the boundaries of one medium into another.

Daniella Batsheva

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What themes does your current work involve?

The themes often involve a blend of urban legends, symbolism from many different cultures, and femininity. The stylistic approach is a fusion between retro punk show posters and children's book illustration with a heavy Victorian flair. Being commissioned to illustrate pieces with completely different topics ends up being tons of fun because I get to process the subject matter through that mental lens. Lately I've been including a lot more humour in my pieces which adds a more relatable, human element that's received a lot of positive responses.

Describe your creative process.

My process is extremely traditional and it always starts with a massive amount of research. Depending on the topic, I might head to a library. Then lots of thumbnailing and sketching. Once I find the right imagery and composition, I roughly draw out the full-sized piece on bristol. This is where my friends say I'm a grandpa - I'll pull out tracing paper, redraw and refine certain elements, and transfer it to the paper, so everything is ready for me to begin inking. Sometimes I'll keep a drawing black and white, other times I'll scan it in and colour it digitally. Most of my work is commissioned, so the client usually only requires a file and I get to stash away the original like a happy little gremlin.

What influences your work? What inspires you? Why do you make art?

I've always felt obsessively compelled to make art. It was my chosen method of communication as an awkward child. I tell people that it's really all I know how to do! These days, I find myself drawing more in defiance of the alarming trends towards AI and the devaluation of artists, but my creations are mostly out of love and a need for mental clarity. My work is heavily influenced by illuminated manuscripts, Victorian era children's books, and horror films. I love taking the naivete and innocence of early illustrations and pairing it with a modern narrative. I generally choose to not rely on a shock-factor or fan-art. I want people to appreciate the artwork, not for its gore or nudity, but for its quality, character, and symbolism.

What are your goals and plans as an artist in 2023?

I'm currently working on an exhibition called "Skirting Spectres" with my friend Susan Slaughter (Ghost Hunters Int., Paranormal Caught on Camera). It's a week long supernatural pop-up show that's taking place at The Crypt Gallery in London from April 25-30. There will be never before seen illustrations on display, along with accompanying stories, lectures, a Q&A session with Susan and I, and live drawing sessions on the weekdays. I also have artwork on display at ArtExpo New York this weekend. I'm continuing to work with my clients, both as an illustrator and designer. Other than that, I'm trying to spend as much time in nature as possible. There's nothing I love more than walking around in the park or woods on a gloomy day.

How do recent advancements in technology affect your art practice? How may recent developments in Artificial Intelligence (image generator software) affect the definition of fine art?

AI hasn't affected my work on a personal level, but seeing artists attacked as "unnessecary" or "gatekeepers" is gaslighting of the worst degree. Artists are not privileged and we are not gatekeeping anything. Anyone is free to put in the work and develop the skills necessary to become an artist. Museums, galleries are free, and you can absolutely find tutorials on youtube. Scraping the internet and using the art of hard working people to create a database that generates derivative images is an insult to any skilled worker that has dedicated their lives to honing their skills. It's simply laziness. We have a culture of convenience and a need for instant gratification due to being perpetually connected to our gadgets and receiving an onslaught of information. We need to touch grass.

What is the role of the artist today?

I think the role is evolving. Artists have always defined their environments through fashion, product design, paintings, iconic imagery and logos, and I think that will continue to be true. However, we're in a place where technology is rapidly progressing, in an attempt to replace artists and, while I don't think it threatens the will to create, public perception of the arts appears to be at an all-time low. People are forgetting why art is important, schools are cutting funding to their arts programs, art is being politicised as something "liberal" rather than something human, and it's all very alarming. I think, as Henry Rollins said, "This is not a time to be dismayed. This is punk rock time." And maybe, right now, artists need to remind people how to be rebellious, critical thinkers.

What is good art? What makes a piece of art great?

A good piece involves striking a balance between skill and cleverness. A piece that is entirely skill, for example, a drawing that is photorealistic but drawn from an existing image, can be impressive, but that's all it is. A piece that has a brilliant concept, but is poorly executed, also misses the mark. Good art is able to communicate a message while being visually appealing in some way. Great artwork should capture the imagination of the viewer and hold it, inspire some emotion, keep them searching, or simply give them a new environment to inhabit for a moment. Great artwork should have a versatility to it. It should be able to be applied in a context outside of visual arts so that it can be enjoyed beyond a specific, exclusive place and the viewer can develop a relationship with it.

This is the time for artists to create a space for each other, outside of a digital umbrella. We're trendsetters, we're hard workers, and I think we're generally very interesting people. I suspect that if we build that community and space physically for each other, it'll inspire others to follow. Or maybe I'm just being idealistic and people really don't have the will to challenge the status quo. I think we're at an interesting social turning point and we have yet to see where it goes. I'm gonna stick around for the ride and if art becomes disliked, for whatever reason, I'll keep drawing out of spite.

John Ralston

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What themes does your current work involve?

Observation of the universe from the perspective of those that have mastered it. Pursuing an inscrutable non-object. Omnipresence. Space and Time.

Describe your creative process.

The work I make is in a constant state of generation. I am continually beginning new work simultaneously with other pieces that have already undergone various stages of their development. There is an objective embedded within this, the constant experimentation allows for quick investigation to new ways to go about generating a specific aesthetic. The excess, leftover pieces and off-cuts are fed back into the new work. Colors are recycled into new blends to be a part of reimagined characteristics within the next group. Work that is in the middle of manipulation is reimplanted or stored for work in the future. I Introduce chemicals and forces that edit the drying process. The materials are substances are derived from what I interact with regularly in my work as a historic home renovation professional.

What influences your work? What inspires you? Why do you make art?

I almost exclusively read science fiction these days. I am stuck imagining a reality among the stars. I am hopeful for humanity’s future and reference the success of our species on this planet as evidence of our bright future off the earth. This generation is one of the last that will remain here in its entirety. Soon we will change our bodies to live within the vacuum of space and set off to experience a civilization without time and place, withheld by nothing. To spread our influence into the passage of infinity, and become one with eternity.

What are your goals and plans as an artist in 2023?

I am hoping to exhibit more of my newest pieces that I debuted in January of this year. I am also planning to develop a better process for documenting my work so that I have more control of the images I am using to present the most important attributes of each piece. Surface and sheen have so much influence in how these pieces are viewed, it is difficult to capture the true essence of the in person viewing experience. This year I am hoping to make the investment in the equipment and begin the training that will be necessary to further my ability to effectively document this work.

How do recent advancements in technology affect your art practice? How may recent developments in Artificial Intelligence (image generator software) affect the definition of fine art?

I have been aware of this question since well before AI. When I was in college the subject was how 3d printing was going to change the way art is made. I think anyone who attempts to interact with these technologies is quickly adapted to the cookie cutter things they create and the obvious boundaries at the edges of the tool’s capability. It’s a tool like any other. Some people will use it in very novel and interesting ways but it will quickly become over saturated with sameness and artists and viewers will move on to the next thing that interests them the most. I feel at this point in my career, I am looking for way to hone what I already know into deeper and higher quality work rather than incorporate the latest creative phenomenon.

What is the role of the artist today?

I feel that artists today have to embrace the pervasive technology that is constantly changing the environment where they can get exposure and opportunity. Adapting the content you make to the packaging it requires to be noticed has become as complicated as making the art itself. I myself, still have a lot of work to do in this regard and it would probably be the best place for me to start if I want to get better results.

What is good art? What makes a piece of art great?

There is something within abstraction when methods and materials align in a composition that scratches an itch we all have. Great art envelopes nuance that is immediately new and exciting. There are works in all genres and themes that seem to achieve this while others don’t. To me it’s something I know immediately when I see it. Collectively we have all sought to further add complexity to what art and installation are, still there are universal truths that remain despite this necessity to evolve. Even if something looks bad it needs to have a reason for being that way and it should be represented immediately upon experiencing the work. I tend to gravitate towards art that presents me with evidence of workmanship mastery and labor.

Andreas Futter

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German sculptor Andreas Futter was born in 1969 in Hechingen. Between 1990-6, Andreas studied at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart with Professors Peter Grau and Horst Bachmayer and took a specialized class in Painting and Graphic Art with Prof. Paul-Uwe Dreyer. He extended his study in Art and Interdisciplinary Design with Prof. Sotirios Michou (1996-8). Andreas Futter has been working as a freelance artist since 1998 with numerous exhibitions in Germany and abroad. His works are in various private and public collections.

Select Awards

2002-2005 Studio grant from the state of Baden-Württemberg

2006 1st prize sculpture park Sonnenwald / Germany

2015 Prize of the jury, Arte Binningen/ Switzerland

2018 Artstages Award, Freiburg-Tiengen

2019 Prize for sculpture, Messe Bad Bellingen

2021 Palm Art Award, WikiArticon Prize

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Tom Ashbourne SSC SCA OSA

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Tom Ashbourne is the only artist currently an Elected Member in three of Canada’s most prestigious professional artists’ societies

Sculptors Society of Canada (SSC)

Society of Canadian Artists (SCA)

Ontario Society of Artists (OSA)

Select Recent Awards

2022 Top 60 Masters” | ATIM.com

2022 “30 Best Artists of 2020” | DESTIG.net

2021 “World’s Best Non-Representational Sculptor” |American Art Awards

2021 “Artists to Collect in 2021”|World Biz Magazine Luxury Collection Guide

2021 Florence Biennale (Italy)

2021 London Biennale (UK)

2021 “County Artist, County Art” 2021, Parrott Gallery, solo show

2021 “Certiﬁcate of Excellence” 2021 | Circle Quarterly magazine

2021 “Honourable Mention” 2021 Contemporary Art Curator magazine & Quinte Arts

Feature Articles

Tom@TomAshbourne.com

647.391.4515
Tom Ashbourne Gallery
www.TomAshbourne.com
17009 Loyalist Parkway, Wellington, ON K0K 3L0

INSTAGRAM @Tom.Ashbourne
FACEBOOK@Tom Ashbourne, Sculptor
LINKED IN@Tom Ashbourne

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Lotta Blanking

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“I’m a self-taught artist, working from a home-based studio in Malmö, Sweden. Creativity has always been essential in my life. My artwork is about playing with the unexpected, something old, something new and at the same time with softness to create new contexts. In my paintings, I use different media, such as charcoal, watercolour, acrylic, collage and in my sculpting, I use driftwood and other interesting findings. My sculptures are mostly inspired by Wabi-Sabi philosophy, where the beauty of natural patina and aging is seen as something to appreciate and love.

I believe that art is everywhere, one just has to learn to see and appreciate it. It is just a couple of years ago that I started putting the pieces together forming sculptures. It all started with my mother passing away suddenly and unexpectedly. I was seeking inner peace and found sculpting was meditative and healing. It also made me decide that life is too short not to do what I love the most: art!

Since then I have been participating in various exhibitions. I have also been selected for a few juried venues as well. I am most proud of having participated in the most prominent Swedish yearly exhibition at Liljevalchs in Stockholm.”

Select Juried Shows

06/2022 Nordic Art Agency Gallery, Malmö

03/2022 ArtÖresund / Ödåkra Konsthall, Helsingborg

02/2022 Liljevalchs Vårsalong 2022, Stockholm

03/2020 ArtÖresund / Ödåkra Konsthall, Helsingborg

Select Solo Shows

06/2022 Venkat Hair, Västra Hamnen, Malmö

06/2022 Kommunhuset i Vellinge

05/2002 Burlöv Konstklubb, Arlöv

10/2020 Kafé Limhamn, Malmö

Select Group Shows

06/2021 Galleri Engleson i Foteviken, Vellinge

Virtual Shows

03/2020 The Holy Art Gallery, London

04/2020 Konstrundan Online

Publications

08/2022 The European Art Guide 2022

09/2021 The Nordic Art Guide 2021/22

Awards

06/2022 Award of Excellence - Circle Foundation

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Craig Robb

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"It was never my intention to become an artist. Having two brothers in the arts and watching their struggles, I logically opted out of the field and pursued other endeavors. Seeking a change in my life, I returned to University and happened upon a teacher who saw within me my potential and encouraged it. After much resistance, I succumbed.

My objective as an artist, on a base level, is to create an object of beauty that is pleasing to the eye yet has a depth to it that makes one think about what they are seeing. I use wood, steel and objects to create metaphorical vistas that contain messages within them that are relevant to my beliefs and viewpoints. Yet by using objects that are laden with content or symbolism, I have come to understand that not everybody sees things the same way I do. When I present these different objects, people come to my work with different histories and stories that are relevant to them and these items. I rely heavily on this in hopes that they create their own story or statement with each piece to make it relevant to them.

Within these sculptures, I include houses, chairs, and other objects that, with their inherent symbolism, develop metaphors about issues that are important to me. Many of my ideas stem from a fascination with how things are connected, both literally and figuratively. The combination of wood and curved steel are utilized as both compositional elements and to create spaces for these objects to reside.

I have always been interested in how objects function within a given space, how they occupy it and the relationships created with the other objects in that space. Because of the broad range of symbolism, these sculptures can speak on many different levels and to many different people."

American sculptor, Craig Robb is based in Englewood. He earned his BFA in Sculpture in 1994 at the University of Colorado, Denver.

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Anat Perl

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"I am a multidisciplinary artist and involved in every type of art that interests me. For me, art is a necessity, just like eating and drinking. Art is a way of life. For as long as I can remember I have been involved in art in all its forms. From music, to dance and fine art. From a very young age I have been involved and experienced almost every kind of art, from music and dance to fine arts. I studied visual arts and graphic design in high school and worked as a graphic designer for several years in different places and developed my own language to create and to express myself. I am a graduate of Bar-Ilan University in the Social Sciences. I also studied musicology there. I continued my exploration of arts in Kenya, where I specialized in music, drumming, and dancing. In Cuba, I was a student of the history of Cuban music, which included drumming, percussion, and dancing. Throughout this time, I have always been involved in fine arts.

In 2014 I started the "Blessing Stones art project". The idea behind this project was to create art that is identified with Israel. The "Mezuzah" is a clear symbol of the Jewish and Israeli home so the mezuzah was chosen to be represented in the project.

I chose to work with materials that are usually not used to seeing them together like stone and pure silver or concrete and pure gold, among other materials. I love working with contrasts and this is well reflected in my art.

I am inspired by simply anything, in most cases nature, and different landscapes, by animals and plants; even dance movements can affect certain contours I design. Music inspires my work. And of course, works by other artists are inspiring.

It is important for me to provoke a response of any kind in the observer. It is important for me to express myself through art and it is also important for me to bring beauty and aesthetics as I see it.”

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Ken Macklin

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Ken Macklin is one of several constructivist sculptors who emerged in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada during the 1980s. His use of mixed media and his use of colour have charted new territory for his art. In Macklin's sculpture, materials are used as language, as writing, as personal narrative. Macklin has exhibited nationally and internationally and his sculptures can be found in public and private collections in Canada, United States, Europe and China.

Education

Bachelor of Fine Arts with Distinction from the University of Alberta

Advanced Sculpture diploma from St. Martins School of Art, London, England

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Jan Williams

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What themes does your work involve?

"Most of my art is figurative and since about 2010 has focused on large body forms. A fairly large proportion of the population where I live, is overweight, so in a politically incorrect way (not derogatively) I like to use their their formal qualities, creating personalities and using them in a language portraying a variety of ideas, explained in their titles..Their titles are important, like 'Night', 'Black weather', Life at the cafe' 'Symphonic etc..."

Describe your creative process.

My initial inspiration can come from looking and working from other artists ideas, or just observing life on public transport for example. The thought process is usually quite slow, turning over in my head for a long time. Once I've begun modelling in plastercine, the process is still slow, changing, sometimes restarting and fine tuning forever. Eventually I consider it complete, and mostly it will still be based on the origional idea. The plastercine piece will be plaster waste molded. A mix of polyester-fibreglass mixed with powdered iron is then painted into the mold. When finished, it will be soaked in salty water until a rust patina is established, then dried and sealed. Earlier work is made with just a simple pigmented polyester fibreglass mix.

What influences your work? What inspires you? Why do you make art?

I became an artist naturally, because most of my family are artists or otherwise connected to the visual arts. I'm inspired by the people who live around me. Actually, I'm inspired by all sorts of things from the natural and human world, anything that can be expressed using the human body format.

What is good art? What makes a piece of art great?

What is great art is indeed difficult to define. Great art can be intriguing, smart, inventive, dynamic or introverted...I don't know if I can define it, but I think I would recognize it without being told it is great art.

What is the role of the artist today?

I'm not really concerned with the role of the artist today, I create my art for myself only.

What themes does your current work involve?

Describe your creative process.

What influences your work? What inspires you? Why do you make art?

What are your goals and plans as an artist in 2023?

What is the role of the artist today?

What is good art? What makes a piece of art great?

Discover More Artists

What themes does your current work involve?

Describe your creative process.

What influences your work? What inspires you? Why do you make art?

What are your goals and plans as an artist in 2023?

How do recent advancements in technology affect your art practice? How may recent developments in Artificial Intelligence (image generator software) affect the definition of fine art?

What is the role of the artist today?

What is good art? What makes a piece of art great?

Discover More Artists

What themes does your current work involve?

Describe your creative process.

What influences your work? What inspires you? Why do you make art?

What are your goals and plans as an artist in 2023?

How do recent advancements in technology affect your art practice? How may recent developments in Artificial Intelligence (image generator software) affect the definition of fine art?

What is the role of the artist today?

What is good art? What makes a piece of art great?

Discover More Artists

A notable component in the sculptures of Andreas Futter is the struggle with the forces of gravity and the endeavour for equilibrium. The artist plays with instability and stability, that elemental demand on each corporeal-sculptural formation, which no sculptor can escape from.

"Negative spaces. My sculptures encourage intimate conversations with each viewer the different aspects of each sculpture."

"For me, it is the combination of colours and shapes that catch my attention and inspires me, especially the faded and chalky colors - like sun bleached driftwood, rusty metal and worn fabrics."

I use my art as a means to express my thoughts and opinions of the world as I see it." “Dreams ever different, ever-varied, endless voyages, endless realms, ever strange, ever wonderful.” – Joseph Cornell

"It is important for me to provoke a response of any kind in the observer. It is important for me to express myself through art and it is also important for me to bring beauty and aesthetics as I see it.”

"By combining and arranging materials, I build visually rich, often playful sculpture. I am inspired by nature; the trees, roots, fields, hills, forests, and land surrounding my studio in northwestern Canada. I continually strive to speak to the viewer on both an emotional and aesthetic level."

"My art is like a drug, I create art because I need to create art. My favourite artists are works by Mailloil, Giacometti, Brancusi and...... Paleolithic art."

What themes does your work involve?

Describe your creative process.

What influences your work? What inspires you? Why do you make art?

What is good art? What makes a piece of art great?

What is the role of the artist today?

I use my art as a means to express my thoughts and opinions of the world as I see it."
“Dreams ever different, ever-varied, endless voyages, endless realms, ever strange, ever wonderful.”
– Joseph Cornell