RACHEL SPROULE
A Collection of Sculptural Works by
RACHEL SPROULE
CONTENTS
ARTIST’S STATEMENT 2 PROCESS
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CURRENT WORK 10 EBB SERIES 20 AN INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTIST
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CONTACT 38
I find balance through the combination of geometric and organic shapes; working the two together to create an equalizing effect. I consider sculpture a form of ‘drawing’ in space: parting negative space via three-dimensional contours. My work is strongly based in process and integrated with observations of time and humanity. Much is learned living amongst a diversity of cultures, and I use my experiences to challenge and reinforce perspectives. Many observations are made between a contrast of lifestyles, particularly those within our North American society.
PROCESS
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The process of creating these objects becomes inherently more important than the finished form. First and foremost, I consider myself a drawer. I believe sculpture - contrary to its textbook definition - is actually just a form of drawing. Take the conventional explanations of drawing; line, pencil to paper, the creation of three dimensional space on a two dimensional plane. Now apply this to sculpture - contours, material cutting empty space, the creation of two different dimensions, coexisting as negative and positive space. The ‘paper’ is the surrounding space; the ‘pencil’ is now the material the artist has chosen. It is drawing in the raw. Whether using additive or reductive techniques, sculpture draws itself into space. Sculpture cannot exist successfully without attending the space in which it lives; much like drawing cannot maintain a good composition if it doesn’t intentionally divide the space of its surface. In ceramics, I find value in the various stages the material undergoes. In the following photographs, you will see the pieces in both their raw and finished forms. These sculptures have been captured in an incomplete stage of their lives; existing now as only photographs. In this way, the image becomes the art and the art survives as a memory, while the complete works are present in reality; time ahead of them and pending their future state.
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Ceramic work in process, 2014.
CURRENT WORK
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Fig. 1: side view (a), Sphere(ish) Unfinished, 2014.
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Fig 1: side view (b), Sphere(ish) Unfinished, 2014.
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Side view (a), Sphere(ish), 2014.
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Side view (b), Sphere(ish), 2014.
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Fig. 2: Pair in Progress, 2014.
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Pair, 2014.
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Hole Exterior, 2014.
EBB series
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Cove, 2014.
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Rock One, 2014.
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Rock Two, 2014.
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Ocean Pyramid, 2014.
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AN INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTIST
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The following interview was conducted by Holly Atkinson. Holly is an accomplished sculptor and foundry technician. She works extensively with bronze, wood, and stone, exhibiting nationally and internationally.
HA: It is evident that as an artist, you are intrigued by geometric, organic shapes, line, positive and negative shapes. What are your influences and what concepts and ideas would you like to create in the future? RS: I am intrigued by the growth and variety of shape and textures found in nature; I will often find solitude in nature and realize the noise of technology when I return. I hope to integrate these juxtapositions through natural and synthetic materials; giving organic forms a futuristic aesthetic. HA: You have experimented with various mediums. Is this exploratory creativity or are they connected? Explain your thought process. RS: Most is exploratory. I am easily bored with one thing, and move on to the next. I have never fully resolved a material, but I often come back to something and use it in a new way because I’ve been away from it and have a refreshed perspective. I love learning what different materials can do; If you learn something can bend in a certain way, you’re now able to implement that knowledge to create a new form or use it with another media. HA: The “Los Carazos, pencil on paper 2014” sketches seem to be of a more personal and intimate nature. Are any of your works taken from personal experiences, childhood, or life lessons? RS: I have a series of works taken from my experiences in the Dominican Republic. I lived there for two months doing an international co-op when I was 16. The Dominican culture and people changed who I am and where my interests lie; particularly in my pursuit of architecture and sustainability. Drawing and painting is a form of journalism for me. Most all of my 2-dimensional works are impressions I hold of memories and experiences. I’ll take a picture in my head, return to it later and manifest the memory into a material visual.
HA: From these works, what is your expectation as an artist? What is it you want to say or would like your work to portray? RS: I have not created work with the intent to change somebody’s mind, or make a bold statement; while I appreciate artists who do such, and hope to do the same one day, I consider my current work more of a self-reflection. So why display it? Feedback and the interaction a person has with the work is an interaction they have with me. Showing your work to someone is to bear a piece of your soul to them. You’d never form a personality if you didn’t ever talk to people – I view my art in the same light. The process of making and showing becomes a myriad discussion between the artist, viewer, and the work itself. I’m not trying to portray anything; I just want to have a conversation. HA: In your final body of work, you wish to create sculptural works of various mediums and associate these shapes and forms with man-made structures. Explain your interest in sculpture as fine art and architecture. RS: I am interested in exploring the blurred lines. What defines fine art as art? What defines architecture as architecture? It’s not so much looking at what they are and what they are not – but how they interact. Is a monument considered art? Can a monument be a piece of architecture? Is Stonehenge a space or is each stone a separate entity, sculpture in and of itself? Perhaps Stonehenge consists of separate stones, sculptures in and of themselves, or maybe, in its entirety, is one space. Is there a difference? All these questions arise from my previous work with small-scale sculpture; they serve as ongoing inquiries and explorations that I hope to share with other viewers. The monumental qualities my pieces tend to have (without my intention of creating them as such) has led my research to review architects. Works by David Benjamin, Thomas Heatherwick, and Moss & Lam have all influenced my views of architecture, art, and the obscure relationship between the two.
HA: Are there other influences; mentors, favourite artists, teachers, or relatives that have shaped you into the artist you are today? RS: My family has always been supportive of any kind of creativity; whether in the arts, engineering, business, or cuisine. Those particular things sound pretentious now, but as children, were all encouraged in small ways. Dad always got us to help him with renovations, no matter how menial the task. My oldest brother would cook something new for dinner. We’d find old bikes out for trash, fix them up, paint them, and make jumps to ride on. My brother Michael and I created a ‘surf shop’, thanks to his early obsession with surfing; we’d spend hours making miniature surfboards from styrofoam or shaving down scrap woods. We painted them and even collaged on brand logos we had cut out of surf magazines, and sometimes made the boards into keychains. It was our own little business; we even made pricesheets and pencil-crayon advertisements. If our parents ever decided to purchase, the boards sold for nickels and dimes. Profit vs. labour was clearly not a concern for us and it went on for years. All these small experiences and introductions to creative play shaped the curiosity I hold today. We were also fortunate to have many travel opportunities as young kids, which largely impacts how I experience the world today and where my interests lie. Travel instills a sense of interconnectedness and understanding of how big our world is but also its intimacy. We are all human beings, and the fundamental joys and fears we experience in our home are often the same as someone oceans away. In the chaos of global events and diversity of people exists a common ground, and we must be willing to find it.
Rachel Sproule is a fourth-year student majoring Fine Art at McMaster University. She grew up in Georgetown, Ontario and moved to Hamilton in 2011. McMaster University has provided much opportunity for presenting Rachel’s work, including two class collaborations with artists Gregg Schlanger (Mapping Paradise) and Jim Reid (Plein Air). Her minimalist sculpture has been displayed in First Works (2011), Alexandra’s Travelling Bauhaus (2013), and Bios (2014), all exhibited within McMaster’s Studio Art gallery space.
RACHEL SPROULE
T. 289.775.0492 E. sproulr@mcmaster.ca
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