<<<< maquettes

These are maquettes I made before Dumb totem and Insane. I initially made one cone as a follow-on from Thicko , making a dunce's cap in wood, but I noticed how much the structure of the natural wood grain was distorted by the cutting process.

I had never explored utilising the wood grain before, if anything I wanted to hide it as it distracted from the sculptural form. I now realise I could use the distortion created by the sharp-edged cutting process on the grain, an illustration as to how a liking for straight lines and geometric order can produce 'special effects' when inflicted on natural forms, pleasing many in a perceived 'supernatural' way. A suppression of our instinctual fear of Nature perhaps, linking with Modern Art's Faustian pact with industrial classicism and the machine aesthetic.