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Artist
Statement
As a society, we have become accustomed to and comfortable with the
luxuries of the mechanical and material world in which we live. Many
people today are less in tune with their senses and out of touch with
the soul of the world. I feel it is important for a balance and harmony
between culture and nature. In my work, I try to bridge the gap between
seemingly opposed natural elements and constructed forms. At the same
time, I wish to promote a reverence for the physical world as a key
element in the development of the psychological and physiological balance
so necessary in our time. My art is motivated in great part by my desire
to find a way of negotiating cultural systems so they do not "progress"
at the expense of a reverence for nature.
My artistic research of this project began by integrating my processes
of collecting, exploring, investigating, and articulating with my art
making. The collected materials commonly used in my work are natural
found objects, such as leaves, seed pods, gourds, snail shells, egg
shells, and degraded plant materials. I then manipulated and transformed
these materials by filling, covering, and dyeing. These more mysterious
and natural forms are recombined within larger containers, such as display
cases, vivariums, antiquated post office boxes and field boxes to represent
the mechanical and material world. My goal is to create a newfound balance
that conveys my sense of wonder, irony, and a deep sense of longing.
Gail Fraser
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