Early on in my education at Ohio State University, I became aware of artists who would go to a site and use the materials present on that site to make a work. Often the work appeared as though it occurred naturally.
I had a romantic notion of visiting the woods near my parents’ home, connect with the site, and make a work. When I attempted it, I realized right off that I wasn’t alone. There were snakes, mosquitos, and ticks, all of which creeped me out.
I recently read about Stuart Wood’s environmental work on the Studio ‘g’ blog. The images of his scorched patterns on trees gave me pause. I like the idea of using a scorching process to alter a material. And that controlling a potentially destructive process can result in something beautiful.
When I visited Stuart Wood’s website I found many gorgeous pieces. And I admit that I found myself saying out loud, “…really, seagull feathers.”
