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I am not the first artist to say that in making
my work, something is revealed.
My work is made out of an organic process.
I am interested in how simple materials can be manipulated,
combined and used. It contains and expresses personal
as well as social experience.
Art history alone cannot foresee implications
from contemporary life (Liu Wei). Consequently, I don’t
believe that everything that can be done, in fact, has been
accomplished. Art history and art present need artists
to explore their inspirations and influences. Art
tells a story, makes a declaration, reveals the subconscious,
comments on the world and our involvement with it. Making
art captures how our minds are changed between the moments
while living life. In part, it is what it means to
be human.
My work is not intended to be clever.
I hope it asks the questions, how is it made?, what does
it mean? It is intended to be inventive. I cannot
help but to draw consciously or unconsciously on rich history.
History is there for us to revisit and see what resonates
with us. I am always looking for connections.
Specifically, my strongest influences from
history have included Pollock’s freedom, Joseph Cornell’s
combinations, Arthur Dove’s design and emphasis on
nature, Georgia O’Keefe’s formal structure,
DeKooning’s drawing in paint, Rembrandt’s penetration
of the psyche, Gorky’s quirky biomorphism, and of
course, cave-paintings and Coptic, primitive markings and
sculpture. I am also influenced by poetry including
Wallace Stevens, Hafiz, and DH Lawrence. Those are
some of the influences I am conscious of. I am sure
that the list is much longer if I could include what I don’t
remember or have subconsciously assimilated.
Michelle Soslau
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