Perfect "Imperfection"

“Perfect”

Like a lot of artists, when I first started out I thought that perfection was the ultimate goal.For example, when sculpting a human form, I thought that I had to sculpt a perfect human form… a form with anatomically flawless proportion, symmetry, structure, and such. As a wood sculptor, I thought this meant always working the wood to a smooth, unblemished finish. It meant “staying within the lines” of perfect right angles, color theory principles, and more. This early lava piece demonstrates these ideals.

“Imperfection”

And like a lot of artists, I’ve grown. Yes, the principles of design and good craftsmanship are still incredibly important. But I’ve discovered that skill in these things brings wider creative freedom that embraces what I’d always negatively considered “imperfections.” In fact, over the last year or so, I’ve come to see that purposeful “imperfections” – like rough, unfinished texture compared to smooth, highly-refined texture – are essential to many works of art. Rightly used, they add depth, intrigue, and beauty to a piece. This more recent lava piece reflects this growth.

“Perfect Imperfection”

I am thrilled with this growth because it’s opened up whole new worlds of creative expression. Perhaps the most robust expression of this growth can be seen in a recent piece called “Creation, Fall, Redemption, Consummation.” The entire piece rests on the creative use of both “perfect” and “imperfect” aesthetic elements. In fact, it’s helped me realize that those labels are actually very unhelpful, as long as a work of art is still made with excellent craftsmanship.

In this piece, I purposefully varied the finishes from (left to right) semi-gloss (Creation) to unfinished (Fall) to satin (Redemption) to high gloss (Redemption). While some wood elements are smooth and highly-finished, others are highly charred and abraded (Fall and Redemption). It was actually a creative thrill to take a torch and an angle grinder to smooth wood to add these “imperfect” textures. This process and the combination of “perfect” and “imperfect” elements are essential to the meaning and intrigue of this piece! (Stay tuned for my artist’s statement – coming soon.)

Like a lot of artists, my journey continues. Thank you for walking with me in this adventure, for reading this post, and for enjoying/acquiring my art. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this post!

Creation-Fall-Redemption-Consummation.