Gary R. Carlson Artist Statement

My assemblage/mixed media sculptures begin by combing through my collection of discarded and broken debris of defunct technologies and faded cultural artifacts.  I look for objects that share a similar essence, color, line, and shape.  My intent is to unify these parts and make them play well together aesthetically.  

As a work develops, the collective components create a story.  It can turn out to be a humorous observation, social statement, pure design or metaphor. Sometimes I start with questions we deal with in our culture, such as politics or beliefs.  It’s an enjoyable, intuitive, and reactive process.  I never know exactly where it will take me or the viewer.  Like life, we never know what is around the next corner or where life will lead us.

I like to work primarily in a non-objective manner; not representing a person or thing.  I want to create a sense of mystery that invites the viewer to interpret the sculpture through their own life experiences.  I’ve always enjoyed the energy and movement in Franz Kline’s abstract expressionistic paintings, and I try to capture a similar asymmetric energy in my sculpture.  Robert Rauschenberg’s “combine” paintings that used objects in or on the canvas have been an inspiration for me as well. 

My goal is to awaken the viewer to the extraordinary beauty of the ordinary objects that surround us, and their potential when aesthetically composed to communicate something beyond their former utility.q