The Devotee

Adopting the identical profile of the The Righteous Brother, The Devotee could be described as the figurine that stepped out of the painting. Drawing inspiration from personal testimony and physical features, the artist's inaugural sculpture continues the theme of serenity within an enclosed adversity. The Devotee seeks an audience whilst levitating implausibly above circumstancial environments and also reflects unique characteristics within alternate light sources.

We see an assortment of tactile impacts on the body that represent unexpected traumas, each one uniquely honed and scaled to measure a personal ordeal. By wearing these tragedies on the outside, these metaphorical events enmesh and so become a protective mantle for the future. Initial examination may suggest a soul overwhelmed, but with arms outstretched The Devotee leans toward the direction of the unknown beckoning forth what's coming within the armour of experience.

An unquestioning belief is hereby commemorated in perhaps the same way that an ideology may gather behind an efigy to symbolise devotion to a cause. As faith is instinctive in us all, The Devotee stands holding out for a personal redeemer.

Artist Profile

The origins of my creative practice can be traced back to September 2004 when I began a Foundation in Art & Design. I recall being very apprehensive about going into a faculty of learning after spending so long in industry. The support I received was immediate and the subsequent confidence gained contributed immensely toward my artistic direction.

Until this point I only had a raw compulsion to pursue some physical expression through experimental mark making. Retrospective examination of my early sketchbooks began to unlock my choice of media and contextual evidence. A predilection for tactile reliefs owed much to my career background in engraving and design but I felt that I gained most satisfaction through experimentation.

Preliminary sketches were soon forsaken for the more immediate and gratifying digital photography which I began to physically manipulate through chemical etching. By dissolving detail I had addressed the personal issue of a sight injury which had initially blighted my lifestyle up until this point. Removing the figurative had become a metaphor for my anger at becoming relegated by diminished eyesight. To simply eradicate the actual in isolation seemed destructive, I had an obligation to my conscience to embellish my technique ever deeper.

There is a chasm of indifference between my left eye and my right eye, any paintings would carry the heavy onus of where the two worlds meet. Perfecting the technique of applying industrial resins through propulsion became a fitting metaphor in appreciating a finished piece. In order to address the subject of the painting the viewer is implored to peer through a lens-like layer of translucent mass. Embracing light and refracting it manyfold goes some way to explaining what is necessary for someone with a perforated eye injury to negotiate their way through optical obstacles.

Tactile exploration of my paintings is actively encouraged as in my opinion touching is an extension of the sensory affront of the work. Upon experiencing a personal mirage my first impulse would be to dismiss it with a hand movement. It gives me great pleasure as an artist to witness people attempting something similar alongside a piece of my art.

I have not intended to aim my art toward those who have a degree of altered depth perception, this is merely my departure point. It's not uncommon for me to spend weeks on a piece that commemorates a specific event that lasts only a few moments. Through my titles I can re-affirm that I've got something else going on, something which is relentlessly challenging. The unfamiliar can be a disturbing place but unexpected delight is true reward for a dedicated explorer.