tree log shoot

I’ve collected
various items which I wanted to represent fear.
In this piece I have considered what I wanted to symbolise my mum’s fear
with in a way which wasn’t so obvious. I
wanted to create a sculpture and not a painting as for this topic I feel that
sculpture is the better way to express myself.
As you can see I have chosen a stump from a tree. The reason for choosing
this material is that its natural and living which depicts my mum’s fear of
dying as the wood is gradually dying to.
In experiments before this piece I used text as it was an effective
method of giving hints. I have used the
obvious word ‘fear’ in my work but the one that’s spelt largely across the top ‘permanent’
was the word that my mum described her fear
in the questionnaire. I thought that
this would be effective in this piece as the tree can’t go back it’s too late
and is dying. This is what my mums afraid
of not coming back which she mentioned in her interview. I think the big slice along the front adds to
the effect of the dying tree almost like it wounded. Inside it, it looks dark and shadowy which I
also like.

How I writ the words was with a craft knife which I then carved
into the wood so they are also ‘permanent’.
Once I carved them in I then got a nib and Indian ink which I soaked
into the engraved marks and makes the text stand out more due to the colour I
choose in contrast with the oak brown wood.
I wanted to have the font quite scratchy and black so it has connotations
of death and so it looked like it has been scratched on as it gives of an
uneasy effect to it. I found the text in
this piece quite significant from the inspiration from Nathan Coley. He also places his work in various locations which
adds to the effect of his work and the words he’s used. In my work I have manipulated the material
and used its natural effect to achieve my point. When I went to take pictures of this piece I
choose the location carefully being a different place to where I found the wood
I wanted a Forrest environment. This is
so that I could achieve the effect that it’s in its natural habitat which then
symbolised my mums fear as it has grown on here and is with her where ever she goes
but looking at her we wouldn’t be able to tell this. I like the fact of revealing something or
using an everyday object that the untrained eye wouldn’t see is a good
effect. What I love about this location
is that the ground looks so natural and goes well with the wood and also the lighting
which is casted through the trees onto the floor almost like a spot light.