Statement–November 2012, On Design and Composition, developed from essays dated 2006, 2007, & 2009

Michael Boles, It's How I Feel, 2007. Aluminum, bronze, onyx, marble, nacre, and acrylic.
18" x 25" x 1." Available for purchase–please contact the artist.

A primary element of my work is the emphasis on design. Every detail of my pieces is considered in relation to the larger composition. Whether the details are ordered in or in a state of disorder, it is intentional. That said, there is also an element of spontaneity in my designs. If something naturally reveals itself to me, I evaluate whether it belongs in the composition. Sometimes it does. So my works are carefully considered, and they are built by my own design and by intuitive suggestions. My sculptures arise by combining my learned and instinctive sense of design, and they result from both deliberate and subconscious efforts.

For example, the sculpture called It's How I Feel developed from conscious and subconscious designs. It's How I Feel is the first piece that came from how I feel about the art-making process, and it really emphasized a spontaneous type of design. On the other hand, I was aware that the grid came from Southern Crossing, and the composition just seemed like it wanted to be a valentine.

With It's How I Feel, I realized that basic composition cares nothing about materials. This enlightened me to the idea that the substance of a work of art develops from a combination of allowing ideas to happen and the astute mind forcing the issue. To a certain degree the artist must manipulate the materials to get the desired result; however, considering the end materials when designing a composition can be a limitation.

Before I begin to make a piece of art, I must arrive at a successful composition–not an easy task. We all can make marks, but it is the ability to recognize the merit of marks with aesthetic worth that separates artists from everyone else. My compositions are unique to me and come from all that has touched me. Just as a photographer often shoots hundreds of exposures to acquire one meaningful image, I too make hundreds of drawings to find one that has the visual sense that I am looking for.

When making my sculptures, I see my compositional drawings translated into more permanent materials. In reality, my relief sculptures are not about aluminum or stone or even line. They are not verifications, glorifications, aspirations, affiliations, or validations. They are embarkations.