 Inside of the Box refers
to a way of thinking. A good citizen will bend and mold their ways and
ideas to promote and participate in society for its best results. It's
a potentially mutual benefit for the individual and the masses. Questioning
the guidance of authority, parents and peers can be perceived as rebellious,
negative and outside of the normal parameters. Children are trained to
think inside of the box and make snap judgments from the outside appearance
of people, places and things, to be safe. Programming has been said to
start with exposure to mass commercialism as a foundation for appropriate/inappropriate
behavior. Thinking inside of the box does not guarantee a happy ending
or getting the right product for what a person needs. As a printmaker, I use formulas to construct compositions for my imagery. If the image is too informative, it is downplayed as illustrative. If the image is too abstract or open ended, closure can not be achieved and there is a call for "more information, please!" Using esoteric symbolism to convey concepts can alienate and confuse people if the imagery is not inviting enough to appeal to one's aesthetics and sense of established values, this is not my intention. Without maintaining a deep attachment to prescribed formulas, I have attempted to define form and weight with light in an environment that is based on a concept. In traditional printmaking, an image is bound to the borders, which in turn is bound to the matt, that is bound to the frame. All of these boxes have a pace for which to observe an image inside of. Design elements can carry over into more than one image, such as a rectangle, shark's eye, warts on a whale's chin, one light source, etc. The drawings started out as cross hairs in my sights and I immediately set them to asymmetrical scope. The freedom to use any object I wanted ushered me to forms I enjoy. The ceramic horses evolved from birds I dreamed of in my second year of graduate school, then they became Pegasus. Pegasus is a myth, but became a physical manifestation, inside of my way of thinking. Inside the concepts pertaining to purity, nothing should cross over or be combined. The 3-D ceramic horse expresses concepts different from 2-D references to form, weight and position. The horse of clay mixes well with legs of wood. The addition of road killed bird wings were an aesthetic addition that give a rebirth to concepts of unrestrained freedom and flight. These ideas are contrary to thinking inside of the box. By staying safely inside of the box, in my drawings and prints, the urge to explore these interiors further drew up plans for doors and alternate routes that led to just going around the boundaries. I am my own best limitation and struggle to fly free of preconceived barriers. So far, I am still inside of the box. |
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