Jaye Lawrence Artist Statement

Personal Landscapes- Flesh Turned to Stone

… not  portraits, but imaginative figures. There are purposely no clues as to a culture, society, or period of time because I don't want to limit the viewer's imagination. The viewer is free to bring his or her own thinking and references to the pieces.

I am interested in the interaction and meaning of the basics… humanity and the earth. These sculptures are fragmented allusions to both the figurative and its environment. The landscape imagery emerges from the body.

Fragments of the human figure merge with the linear structure as air, light, and earth. I feel there is more of an impact by fragmenting the figure, imitating life, which is constantly moving and shifting. A fragment is visually on the move since one's mind is always in the process of filling in the voids.

Influences:

Rock formations are of extreme interest to me. Stacked rocks remind me of figures and body parts. I am also fascinated by Southern folk artists whose works are raw and emotion filled, often on the edge. Examples are furniture, animals as well as figurative sculptures made of clay, sticks, roots, etc., put together in very direct ways - nailed, wired, twisted, etc. Materials include clay, twigs, sticks, license plates, and anything that is at hand. I am fascinated by how a carefully chosen clay, stick, root, rock, and such can suggest an arm, torso, head…

The roughness and irregularities suggest real bodies rather than ideal ones…

Techniques:

I prefer to use primitive direct techniques that do not hide the identity of the materials I use.

Jaye Lawrence 2014