james eddy

artist...

         I have always had a great love of nature, of being outdoors and of knowledge. The experiences of playing and working in the countryside and on the sea, as well as the understanding of ecology and nature I gained by taking a degree in environmental science, have greatly underpinned and inspired my artistic career.

               

        My sculpture and land art works I would describe as leaps of faith, expressed with an organic and rough simplicity. Trying to resolve ideas in the most poetic and natural way possible, like water flowing around a rock. I prefer to work in natural materials, using traditional skills whenever possible and appropriate, understanding that manual labour can be a very rewarding process. I also use expressive painting and drawing to inform my work.

        I am intrigued by the Japanese aesthetic theory of wabi-sabi, especially the concepts of impermanence and change, both in nature and human life, and the ambiguous way in which these subjects are often expressed.

        The natural simplicity I try to achieve in my sculpture, could be described as a kind of visual poetry. What Costantin Brancusi referred to as, discovering ‘the essence of things’. Another Japanese concept that conveys this is ‘Mono-no-aware’, which in one way can be defined as a sense of ‘Ah-ness...‘ This sense of poetry is reflected in my site-specific works. I refer to them as ‘Places of Silence’, site-specific works that create a place and a space for reflection and contemplation, much like Japanese zen gardens.

          

        For me art does not always have to provoke, shock or question. Neither should it always provide answers or overtly tackle major issues. Even thought these art works definitely have their place. I do however feel that authentic, simple organic art, which is experiential, can be just as effective and relevant in contemporary life.

        Art of this nature that simply serves a purpose of being beautiful focus points. Objects and spaces that provide a person or an audience with a moment in time, a moment to slow down and to contemplate, and perhaps even find answers to their own questions.