Geoffrey Gorman likes to imagine that his menagerie of twig and cloth animals are ‘found toy relics from prehistoric times’. Constructed from bent tree branches, old cloths and sculpting wax, the animals have a stark, predator-like look. Broken and bandaged, they seem to be on the hunt for food, haunted by their wounds.
Rubida
Listen to an audio soundbyte from the artist and see pictures of him at work on Daniel Quat Photo. Gorman says he hopes that we see humor in his work – could it be that what I am interpreting as a hungry, hurting canine is really a jovial pup on an adventure with his pals?
A broken bent tree branch, bleached from sun and rain, makes me think of weathered bones: fingers, legs, backbone, and hip bone. Old stained strips of cloth act like bandages and clothing, hiding and holding it all together.
What do you see when you look at Gorman’s beautifully crafted animals – pain or pleasure?
Pain, for sure. Beautiful, but painful.
Pain! so much pain! and fear! First could make me cry!
)
kind of art i prefer not to see, even it’s a fantastic work!
bye Susan!
see you later,
take care!
I see pain, neglect and abuse. I see crying out for help. May be good work, but depressing. I can only wonder what’s going through the artist’s head at that moment.
It’s brilliant but I would not want to live with that everyday. There is so much beauty in the world.
Sara, Tammy, Eva and Dierdre –
Thank you for your comments about this menagerie.
I find Gorman’s work beautiful and haunting; mostly the work makes me think…and it seems like he made each of you think as well.
I think good art stirs emotions and forces contemplation. The artist achieves this easily – my hat’s off to him!
I appreciate all the responses to my fanciful animals. Yes, there is pain, the pain that is being felt by the natural world as humans destroy it, and humor. My creatures are still surviving, some even fighting back. Some are getting stronger as nature takes them back.
Geoffrey
Hi from Santa Fe, where I am getting ready for a new show. You can visit my new blog at: http://geoffreygorman.blogspot.com/
Stop by the site and let me know what you think of the new work.