The Wind Circles a Carnivore by Collin Blackmore 

New Exhibit 
​
Opening Reception - January 9 / 6-8 pm 
 809 Court St, Utica, NY
January 9 - February 20
Free and Open to the Public 

​ARTIST STATEMENT 

Pushing into the unknown is part of human nature. Unknown lands, unknown science, unknown art. I am constantly pushing the tools and materials I work with and my skills as a craftsman to the edge of what is possible, reaching the unknown regions of art. My current work has three distinct groupings: The Wind Series, Four Moirai Form the Circle, and Carnivore. 
First is my Wind Series, sculptures that suggest the force of strong wind drag on a shifting object. They each have a wire structure with copper and brass details, and most have a core of poured concrete that keeps them anchored. In 2009 I started the series after learning jewelry soldering techniques that allowed me to work with stainless steel wire in a new way. I have continued expanding the series, both adding new sculptures to it and using the existing ones as models for larger sculptures. 
The second is a circular tetraptych called Four Moirai Form the Circle. Just as there are four stages to the circle of life: Birth, Life, Death, and Renew, there are four sections to this circular sculpture based on the Greek myth of the Moirai: Clotho, Lachesis, Atropos, and Efforos. The original myth with the three Moirai spinning, measuring, and cutting the thread, is too linier. Life is not a straight line, it is the circle of life, so I created Efforos to complete the circle. 
The third is a large cast iron and steel sculpture called Carnovore. I fabricated it by cutting, bending, and welding together wheels from horse drawn farm equipment I excavated from the hedgerow near my house. The artwork statement for this sculpture is as follows: 
It has been eaten, it wants to eat. 
Vertebrae and ribs, the remains of an animal that was preyed upon. 
A carnivorous plant waiting to eat an insect. 
The keel and ribs of a wrecked vessel, eaten by a storm at sea or in space. 
 
With The Wind Series and the rest of my work, I hope to enhance the richness of our life experience. 

BIO

The first copper I worked with came from my stepdad in the form of roof flashing scraps, and he showed me how to join the pieces with a blowtorch and plumbing solder. This new material and skill led to my first attempts at sculpture. Becoming a professional metal worker seemed more practical than going to art school, so after graduating high-school I went to Alamance Community College and learned how to weld. In 2008, I lived with my artist grandparents for a year and experimented with other materials like wire mesh, bone, rubber cement, and poured concrete. Later that year I attended Penland School of Crafts for a jewelry concentration and our instructor taught us soldering techniques that allowed me to work with stainless steel wire in a new way. Returning home from Penland I created what is now the first phase of the Wind Series, beginning with Wind 1, and ending in 2011 with Wind 7. After going back to school to train as a machinist, working in engineering and custom metal fabrication shops, and other projects, I decided to restart the series in 2022 with Wind 8. Looking over some of my drawings from 10 years ago helped me get back into a similar frame of mind and restart the terminated idea thread with a splice. After experiencing the foreign arid landscapes and geology of the western states for the first time, I rethought my use of concrete and steel and entered a new region with my sculptures with Wind 9 and Wind 10. While my work reflects my training and expertise in industrial techniques, I also draw my inspiration from the historical past and forces of nature.