Artist Statement
Craig Frederick at work in his studio.
Photo by Florin Firimita
I think of artists as cultural neurons. We exercise our sensibilities daily, we observe and we respond through our work. As an artist, the work I do is my way of attempting to understand an increasingly complex world, the human experiment and my own existence. By documenting my time here, it is my hope I am responsibly fulfilling a life purpose, an individualized creative reaction and response to this time, place, people and events.
The object (finding its place somewhere between total abstraction and representation) is a powerful vehicle for reflecting on what has been and the contemplation of what may be. The substance of my meditation is the experience of life: spiritual, emotional, intellectual and physical. Each piece evolves as alchemy of personal interests, observations and passions.
Sculpture is the means by which I am able to combine what is real with that which is imagined. In a world where order, as we perceive it, is a mere illusion, the work of my art becomes the ability to navigate the churning of many tides. Ultimately, I emerge with a better sense of self, manifested in a work of art.
The ability to establish a balance of the hands, eyes, and mind in the development of my sculpture is of great value. No one element of the three can be relied upon more than another. A result is no one piece of sculpture is separate from another. They are ‘works of art,’ connected by a common thread; punctuation marks in the narrative that is my life, my art.
Similar to meditation, I work in isolation, yet the work often connects me to a larger whole; the Universe’s pulsating flux of atoms and energy. Awareness of this makes it difficult to claim credit. Ironically, it is a seemingly selfish means by which I attempt to surrender the Self.
This notion of what I do is not new. I have arrived at it, though, by my own set of circumstances. As with so many others, I am perpetually drawn to beauty and seduced by the forms, textures, movements, and visual relationships that surround us all. I think of my work as a ceremonial dance in honor of this grandeur and as a continual study of this powerfully communicative and healing phenomenon called beauty.
In each piece, I strive to achieve a form free of arbitrary elements or decisions. Choice and use of materials are important. Although the source of my work is often figurative, this is not readily apparent to the viewer. The sculptures are abstract and do not mimic the figure or any individual form. They do, however, refer to multiple influences. I enjoy the freedom to combine elements of different forms that affect me emotionally, intellectually and/or spiritually into carefully composed pieces of sculpture. I invite you to investigate, interpret and enjoy the suggestions of their form, material and origin.