What might be the appeal with all natural or alternative materials in your artwork? What would some advantages or disadvantages be?
Artwork that is completely natural can be very appealing to the eye. Unlike art that can say everything it wants to just by a glance, art found in nature makes you think longer and harder about what is really being said. The feelings that nature can evoke inside of you can be one of longing, sadness, joy, anger, and even inspiration. I could take a picture of nature as it is when I first arrive, or I could change it around and add my own quirks, just as Mr. Goldsworthy does. Nature is something beyond our control, and I think that's what can make it so appealing. The stunning beauty that had nothing at all to do with anything humans had done... now that is something that makes you stare in shock and awe.
Mr. Goldsworthy uses 100% natural art supplies in his work, and i think that is what makes it so appealing to us. It is a major advantage to be unique, and that's exactly how his artwork is. If he had used something from the store, the genuineness of it would likely have never been there. His work is serene, it is something you feel like you can't find in our destructive always loud world. That moment is the moment he works for, the time when you feel so connected with the Earth, but also like you're in a different world completely.
Artwork is never easy, but Mr. Goldsworthy's work is most likely ten times harder. He is always on a time crunch, needing to be done before the tide rises or before the sun hits a certain point in the sky. He needs to find supplies right around him, so he needs to be resourceful. However, I believe all of these difficulties pay off once he can look at what he has created and see that it was completely worth it.
What inspiration for your own work can you gain from Mr. Goldworthy's style, materials, worth ethic, ideas?
Mr. Goldworthy's style is completely unique in my eyes, I have never seen anything like it! It is very inspiring to me, and makes me want to do something no one else has ever seen before. The way his art is a gift to nature, and is not taking from nature, well I find that very impressive. It also makes me realize I don't need to damage nature to fully appreciate it. The way he would rather his hands bleed than damage the plant is stunning to me, I don't think I'd ever thought about hurting nature being so bad before. He is a bit extreme, but I can see where he is coming from. I want to go into nature now and take a deeper look. Maybe I'd move some stuff around, but instead maybe i would branch off his ideas and simply work on angles or lighting to capture God's creations more beautifully. I want people to realize what we are killing when we cut down forests and pollute lakes, and he is inspiring to see how to get that message across.
Why, specifically do you connect or NOT connect with his work?
In some aspects, I connect with Mr. Goldsworthy, but in others, we are not similar at all. Nature is something I love to photograph, but I had never thought about molding it in any way. I don't think I am as connected with nature as he is, because I had never really thought about making a living simply in nature. I had never thought about only using things found in nature in my art, but the idea can be inspiring. I would not go to the extreme he did, but I might try to branch off to a less intense form of his work. I can see moving certain things around, but I do not think I would go to such extremes as building rock eggs and ice swirls.
Even though I do not think that we really connect in a sense of the same photography, I think he is a true artist in his work. He is passionate and in this way I think we do connect. I love the things I do and I put my whole self into them, just as he does with his work. We are both what some might call a perfectionist, but we do know when to accept our work, and say that it may finally be good enough, although we'll always wish we had more time to make changes and add on more and more.
