tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17056050519502864882024-03-05T01:26:02.086-06:00Michael Boles: Artwork and CommentaryMichael Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05462310863627863248noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1705605051950286488.post-86187510156218679492015-06-29T13:31:00.000-05:002015-06-29T13:31:27.228-05:00This drawing is entitled, "A Little Stroll With Stars," and is currently being shown at Pensacola Museum of Art Member's Show through August 22, 2015. It's 5"x7" as are most of my new drawings. I thoroughly enjoy the intimacy of drawings this size; most everything I produce, with rare exception begins on a similar scale. Ideas and concepts for larger reliefs and free-standing pieces have their origins on this scale.<br />
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I continue to return to my 2011 essay, "Sculpture is Always Real," when I evaluate these drawings. (The essay is contained in this blog.) Remove the paper from these drawings and a sculpture, (an object) remains. I personally have no desire to "fuss" with the surface of the paper, however many artists are quite skilled at just that. If what I draw can't exist outside the confines of the paper, I don't have much use for it.<br />
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I've included a few more drawings in this post as well...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiacLAA_HdhDpcWE4kbsNDR8J3gugwWFXnGNUykgYgg-jIoPIsa7NJVfzniQMEYLVOKXsr_H4ymBqZj_O7lQl68nQzoeiFquat0nXnJY8U7lHdj0UCrqtEazJAdgQcAxNy893ARPK0ivvp7/s1600/A+Little+Stroll+With+Stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiacLAA_HdhDpcWE4kbsNDR8J3gugwWFXnGNUykgYgg-jIoPIsa7NJVfzniQMEYLVOKXsr_H4ymBqZj_O7lQl68nQzoeiFquat0nXnJY8U7lHdj0UCrqtEazJAdgQcAxNy893ARPK0ivvp7/s400/A+Little+Stroll+With+Stars.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>
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"A Little Stroll With Stars," 2015; 5"x7"; Pencil</div>
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"Fan Dancer," 2015; 5"x7"; Pencil</div>
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"Holier Than Thou," 2015; 5"x7"; Pencil </div>
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<br />Michael Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05462310863627863248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1705605051950286488.post-23947908849907956432015-06-12T18:55:00.000-05:002015-06-12T18:55:05.249-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>I have been trying to stay abreast of my drawing. It seems as though I always fall back on developing compositions on paper when I'm not trying to lacerate myself with power tools! Virtually every image I produce begins with drawing, even though the drawings usually evolve into some other media. There is such a purity in allowing a composition to fully develop on paper rather than needing to transform it into metal, stone or whatever. I still envision the creative process to be the same, whatever material is used.</b></div>
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<b>These things are quite small, 5"x7" or thereabouts. There is an intimacy to that size that I really respond to; they seem to be on the other end of the spectrum from some of my recent work. It's like exercising a different portion of my art making desires, maybe in an attempt to stay centered in some way.</b></div>
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"Phrygian Game," 2015; 6"x8"; Pencil<br />
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"Budding Out," 2015; 5"x7"; Pencil<br />
<br />Michael Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05462310863627863248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1705605051950286488.post-69186804917613427372013-07-30T12:40:00.000-05:002013-07-30T12:44:07.254-05:00"Wiener Wear"<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrlZCpUTmDDknlT5FS-bggDXr55aGgHPup47DITTe6wncpS2rjW8CiwVdEHWAxxPHtMOA9AMJlis0cg-Zshis9j5gnRCTrhdCts7N2bpUHhi23YR55xmcKWTF_8scRc1uxvYdZvvBdpFZ0/s1600/weiner_wear_final.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrlZCpUTmDDknlT5FS-bggDXr55aGgHPup47DITTe6wncpS2rjW8CiwVdEHWAxxPHtMOA9AMJlis0cg-Zshis9j5gnRCTrhdCts7N2bpUHhi23YR55xmcKWTF_8scRc1uxvYdZvvBdpFZ0/s400/weiner_wear_final.jpeg" width="273" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Boles, <i>Wiener Wear</i>, 2013.</td></tr>
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<i>Wiener Wear</i> is one of many ink jet prints I currently have in progress. I find that I continue to have difficulty with the spelling of "wiener," even though the "i before e" rule from grammar school still rattles around in my head! It is pure coincidence that someone by the name of Anthony Weiner is currently in the national spotlight, and this piece bares little resemblance to him, if any.Michael Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05462310863627863248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1705605051950286488.post-68908446008274598542013-07-18T21:19:00.000-05:002013-07-18T21:19:32.761-05:00"Wardrobe Emergency"<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Boles, <i>Wardrobe Emergency</i>, 2012.</td></tr>
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This is another one of my archival ink jet prints currently on view at the Pensacola Museum of Art. The Members Show is up until August 3. Check it out!Michael Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05462310863627863248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1705605051950286488.post-17339292609222582602013-06-24T12:25:00.000-05:002013-06-24T12:48:42.977-05:00PMA Members' Show<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnUVWsoZF8f0-Hkwsnm6A3oqEjKiLqa378ERQzO16tYqUJ7mYCuJzaiETu6cdyd5zQLSjB0l8QehaXGEoGSfb4FtEp6NFUPO39iuBGRGYURikA3X49vhpg4gCgoMmX8Q9DNYOi2yZD3kQk/s1600/Sister_final.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnUVWsoZF8f0-Hkwsnm6A3oqEjKiLqa378ERQzO16tYqUJ7mYCuJzaiETu6cdyd5zQLSjB0l8QehaXGEoGSfb4FtEp6NFUPO39iuBGRGYURikA3X49vhpg4gCgoMmX8Q9DNYOi2yZD3kQk/s400/Sister_final.jpeg" width="273" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Boles, <i>Sister</i>, 2012. Archival ink jet print.</td></tr>
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Three of my archival ink jet prints were juried into the annual <a href="http://www.pensacolamuseumofart.org/" target="_blank">Pensacola Museum of Art</a> Members' Show. <i>Sister</i> is one of them... visit the exhibition to see the other two!</div>
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The opening reception is Thursday, June 27 from 5:30-7:30. The show runs until August 3.</div>
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Michael Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05462310863627863248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1705605051950286488.post-53319075481347531652013-06-23T11:02:00.000-05:002013-06-23T11:03:19.046-05:00"Amphitrite" is Going for Bronze!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOdbaRxq0C11IsgUB__pfReyfgQ9KMDUxaaksy24bBYEQN_X0F6PBqjbvaiegiXIhDuS30vvKzFQa6duX20w-c5hGy_op_RdueXop2469yvMg_6wa3pb2e3vzqQHKV7VH9HUCvbQGs-TU2/s1600/amphie_front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOdbaRxq0C11IsgUB__pfReyfgQ9KMDUxaaksy24bBYEQN_X0F6PBqjbvaiegiXIhDuS30vvKzFQa6duX20w-c5hGy_op_RdueXop2469yvMg_6wa3pb2e3vzqQHKV7VH9HUCvbQGs-TU2/s320/amphie_front.jpg" width="148" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhME1O9FnwNNqMcm2MVj5h3PSdZUER_ydJ6b5qBZpzIlxuAwNT99EFvG8arEKi2he3jIWiOl2ik5Zm5T0ekBB48SKgPUj7QSzoTitQD1YdQir6ggJhXi3t6DxFXSd2w0XxHseonmHHmGSh7/s1600/amphie_back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhME1O9FnwNNqMcm2MVj5h3PSdZUER_ydJ6b5qBZpzIlxuAwNT99EFvG8arEKi2he3jIWiOl2ik5Zm5T0ekBB48SKgPUj7QSzoTitQD1YdQir6ggJhXi3t6DxFXSd2w0XxHseonmHHmGSh7/s320/amphie_back.jpg" width="153" /></a></div>
The studio feels empty without <i>Amphitrite</i>. She is off to the foundry to be cast in bronze.<br />
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But there is still plenty to work on... <i>Rugga</i> is back and I've started welding him. <i>Daphne</i> was on hold for a bit, but I've returned to working on her in the metal shop (she's seen in the background below.)<br />
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Michael Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05462310863627863248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1705605051950286488.post-79301758945951383432013-05-31T16:43:00.002-05:002013-05-31T16:45:30.662-05:00Carving of "Amphitrite" nearly complete!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The carving of <i>Amphitrite</i> is nearly complete! She is a bit over seven feet tall and will be cast in bronze. She will be placed in a fountain at the <a href="http://gulfsidelandscapingtanglewood.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Tanglewood Legacy Estate Garden</a>, home of Mr. Fred Levin. The gardens will be beautiful and extensive, designed by Mr. James Martin of <a href="http://www.gulfsidelandscaping.com/" target="_blank">Gulfside Landscaping</a>.Michael Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05462310863627863248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1705605051950286488.post-88063818500182025182013-05-31T16:30:00.001-05:002013-05-31T16:39:17.249-05:00The "Sentries" in Progress<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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These are my Sentries, Laars and Rugga. (Laars is the left-handed one!)</div>
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They are currently at <a href="http://www.fairhopefoundry.com/" target="_blank">Fairhope Foundry</a> where they will be cast in bronze.</div>
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Each Sentry has been cut into about 15 pieces and molds made of each piece.</div>
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melted out prior to the casting. Then the welding fun begins!</div>
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Signing one of the Sentry bases in the wax. Casting begins soon!</div>
<br />Michael Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05462310863627863248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1705605051950286488.post-41864925686565039842013-05-17T13:34:00.000-05:002015-04-04T13:53:08.830-05:00An Element of the Order<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPJ3K0oKrZrRdMcPlcbf0vki8p-wcUVmUWuyp7-0YYnhn8omrJncT70TapHt7D9JPs1dNQw8hCrDag1HVpOyzK1BhW3Rt7WfxZUN-sdNlcQ1RM8azMnTa6pf-II7AyUCNFCmyJ6zU4ZsSo/s1600/anElementoftheOrder.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPJ3K0oKrZrRdMcPlcbf0vki8p-wcUVmUWuyp7-0YYnhn8omrJncT70TapHt7D9JPs1dNQw8hCrDag1HVpOyzK1BhW3Rt7WfxZUN-sdNlcQ1RM8azMnTa6pf-II7AyUCNFCmyJ6zU4ZsSo/s1600/anElementoftheOrder.jpeg" height="400" width="273" /></a></div>
Michael Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05462310863627863248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1705605051950286488.post-6476824804152702362013-04-16T14:43:00.000-05:002013-05-31T16:37:05.470-05:00"Amphitrite" in Progress: Carving stage<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/VnMXzQKTFo4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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This short video shows the technique of carving Styrofoam that
I have honed over the years. I first rough out the composition on the Styrofoam
block, and then I add details with a sharp knife to create a smooth surface. When
the model is complete, molds will be made and the work will be cast in bronze. The
sculpture I am carving in the video is a privately commissioned work named <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Amphitrite</i>.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Michael Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05462310863627863248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1705605051950286488.post-78559478057502603982013-04-05T18:43:00.001-05:002013-05-31T16:37:31.731-05:00Welding "Daphne"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/PL756fk6ukQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
Recently I have been busy in the studio and metal workshop constructing several privately commissioned, large-scale bronze sculptures. In this video clip, I am welding details on the upper portion of the sculpture <i>Daphne</i>, seen in progress in the background.Michael Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05462310863627863248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1705605051950286488.post-45860353428794801612012-12-30T18:24:00.000-06:002012-12-30T18:26:11.376-06:00Statement–2011, Sculpture is Always Real, first published in Po10tial Magazine, November 2011<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97n9ik3TfJ99Mh1IlO3VOzijsZm8-zJpImfhuzawYvbF3jYLiSUkaD2rHOGOjwwDphhPUmV6vALGiL8Mr3Wuwjfc0JFcC-c8cSfC0JZZK3Au3uZhoBPSi27EpdE7MsRIDTIHH8fZYwA1m/s1600/to+the+point.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97n9ik3TfJ99Mh1IlO3VOzijsZm8-zJpImfhuzawYvbF3jYLiSUkaD2rHOGOjwwDphhPUmV6vALGiL8Mr3Wuwjfc0JFcC-c8cSfC0JZZK3Au3uZhoBPSi27EpdE7MsRIDTIHH8fZYwA1m/s320/to+the+point.jpeg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Michael Boles, <i>To the Point</i>, 2011. Aluminum, malachite,</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
and urethane. 40" x 72" x 1." Private collection.</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We choose how precisely or vaguely we define
reality. All artists explore the notion of reality. Artists like
myself, working with abstract imagery, are no exception.<br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It may be startling to discover that the terms real and
realism do not mean the same things, and in fact, have quite different
implications. Realism generally refers to the art historical definition,
meaning to artistically render an accurate representation or copy of a
preexisting object in space. Either painting or sculpture can imitate the
natural world and create a recognizable likeness of a thing (realism); however,
only sculpture can be real. Moreover, sculpture is always real. The
term real defines a three-dimensional object in space, not a representation of
it–which would be an illusion and not reality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sculpture extends beyond realism, moving from "a
depiction of a thing as it is" to being what it actually is, i.e., "a
sculpture." It is never an illusion, but always a real object existing in
space. Likewise, I reject the term "abstract sculpture," as
abstract denotes an idea separate from reality. My works make use of
abstract imagery, signs, and symbols, but that does not negate their existence
in real space. My sense is that the imagery is a part of a complete, real
object. While the imagery may refer to external ideas through iconography,
the unified work is self-referential. The whole sculpture and its imagery
exist before the viewer in the real world. I do not desire my sculptures to be
anything else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I have defined an object existing in three dimensions as
being real; therefore, sculpture is real, but painting is not. Only a
painting's frame exists in reality; what is depicted, the illusion, is not
real. Minimalist sculptor Donald Judd explored this idea in his 1965 essay
"Specific Objects" (Donald Judd. "Specific Objects." In Art
in Theory 1900-2000: An Anthology of Changing Ideas, edited by Charles Harrison
and Paul Wood, 824-828. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2003). Judd
identifies the plane of a painting as a form in itself. The best thing
painting can do is respond to its form, such as Frank Stella's stripe
paintings. Judd recognizes the problem between a painting's surface illusions
and its true external form (traditionally the rectangle). Judd writes,
"Anything on a surface has space behind it." That means one has
to understand even abstract painting as an illusion and in no way
reality. For Judd, sculpture was the only option in art: "Three
dimensions are real space. That gets rid of the problem of illusionism and
of literal space, space in and around marks and colors–which is riddance of one
of the salient and most objectionable relics of European art."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Our associations with paint and metal are not the
same. Paint implies surface and illusion. Metal, while also
possessing a surface, implies much more because it shares the viewer's
space. It does not depict reality (an illusion), but it is a real
object. Differentiating sculpture and painting lies in one's ability to
identify the characteristics of the art objects through the concepts of reality
and illusion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Relief
sculpture is not new; it has existed in various materials for
centuries. My reliefs are composed with artistic techniques from across
time, but their purpose applies to the here and now and who I am as an artist
in the twenty-first century. My reliefs reject the traditionally accepted
notions of reality. They hold a space similar to a painting. They are displayed
on a wall, but there is no illusion. They maintain linearity while
pressing into the three-dimensional world. They are fundamentally what
they are, existing within the viewer's space. They utilize both two- and
three-dimensional elements, but are understood as real objects just like
freestanding sculpture. Viewers may find the combination of linear and
sculptural elements disconcerting, alluring, or both. Combining aspects of
two and three dimensions may generate a change of perception by forcing us to
reevaluate what we consider to be real. The relief sculptures I make
directly engage with multiple dimensions and the discourse of reality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Michael Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05462310863627863248noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1705605051950286488.post-33487347898833111802012-12-29T17:39:00.000-06:002012-12-29T17:39:51.605-06:00Statement–April 26, 2011, On the Ordering of Art, first published in Po10tial Magazine, November 2011
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdA_vWm3ojN60N5gkG_dHcbKPwrB3TrGUjNswIaZT5J84duAONCmp32SZOaL01yqMsQjubN0919AD5WUVt196GBOENaZTwquBel-kYakD5H3wgTdyM9C5nqAfzrin3NlLQvaqHDQ73K_r2/s1600/unnatural+selection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdA_vWm3ojN60N5gkG_dHcbKPwrB3TrGUjNswIaZT5J84duAONCmp32SZOaL01yqMsQjubN0919AD5WUVt196GBOENaZTwquBel-kYakD5H3wgTdyM9C5nqAfzrin3NlLQvaqHDQ73K_r2/s320/unnatural+selection.jpg" width="195" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Boles, <i>Unnatural Selection</i>, 2011. Aluminum, copper, chrisacola,<br />sodalite, and acrylic. 31" x 56" x 1." Available for purchase–please contact the artist.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The
"ordering" of art has occurred over millennia. It is a reflection
of our society's values and structure. Society without structure is chaos.
One cannot truly make works of art that express chaos, as doing so would
suggest prior knowledge and negate from the outset the intent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Ordering by no
means refers to following some pre-determined canon or style, which in the
early-twenty-first century obviously has ceased to exist. Ordering in this
context refers to considerations that transcend the object and refer to the
time and place wherein the object is placed, as well as the material
information that is present. Stunning a viewer is so easy within
contemporary trends that making objects that don't so much stun as mesmerize becomes
a challenge. The underlying legacy of art has as its roots endless qualities
that do just that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Most people
want to look at works of art of all types. All of us are visual
creatures. Most people by now understand that works of contemporary art
often pose more questions than they answer. Times will arrive when viewers of
art will come to trust their own innate visual judgment and instincts once
again, rather than relying on the quasi-intellectual judgment of those who
seemingly could care less about genuine visual experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Michael Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05462310863627863248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1705605051950286488.post-47545096576471319362012-12-28T12:50:00.000-06:002012-12-28T12:50:43.891-06:00Statement–March 2011, Wall Reliefs Without the Element of Illusion<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrTMUAEqwCnZ9MoCdKRZuLCU-yoA_eRtI_WE2gwg7fCr-bAPZ03NnkZrg1-ck2CMat-vgf38oqL2Ez_g_YWrZG-aLukZYWSJHX383BhMUfECKSOxxH9hr7STeDBk9XN9DlxZYmDySyxg62/s1600/Oneness+of+Two.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrTMUAEqwCnZ9MoCdKRZuLCU-yoA_eRtI_WE2gwg7fCr-bAPZ03NnkZrg1-ck2CMat-vgf38oqL2Ez_g_YWrZG-aLukZYWSJHX383BhMUfECKSOxxH9hr7STeDBk9XN9DlxZYmDySyxg62/s320/Oneness+of+Two.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Boles, <i>Oneness of Two</i>, 1972. Aluminum, bronze, and acrylic paint.<br />Available for purchase–please contact the artist.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<!--StartFragment--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">My current
sculptural work is the result of an ongoing exploration that began in 1970 with
a series of shaped canvasses and constructions utilizing the wall as
support. My background in printmaking and sculpture coalesced into a language
that combined the two approaches, and resulted in objects that in essence were
a combination of both; however, when working two dimensionally I almost
immediately felt the limitations posed by the rectangle. At the time Frank
Stella and others were </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">experimenting with
shaped canvas, and a little later Donald Judd with the relationship between
painting and sculpture, but I felt more information could be related by
maintaining and utilizing shape extensively rather than accepting the more
Minimalist approach. I realized that my surfaces were not attempts at
suggesting illusion, as they were free of illusion and were real within their
own sculptural right. In addition, they could exist outside of the
limitations of the traditional rectangle. Thus, I feel that my works purvey a
real, tangible, and more engaging </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px;">and evocative
abstract imagery that falls somewhere between painting and sculpture.</span><!--EndFragment--><br />
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Michael Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05462310863627863248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1705605051950286488.post-65499889391920305752012-12-27T11:12:00.000-06:002012-12-27T14:12:48.261-06:00Statement–March 29, 2011, On Art Today<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrPkxL75jeXz7Ygam0asr94UIbqNbR5QdvwWaHW7abD-jzIqhLCNA59XSbE7Zie-4goqs3-HfqTx2t9SGIacbZG7TTKcDRVpBq-Agm53JcY-VJ-THWw6jMZV_MMqRxVbTiYdZzj05djyos/s1600/The+Generation+of+X.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrPkxL75jeXz7Ygam0asr94UIbqNbR5QdvwWaHW7abD-jzIqhLCNA59XSbE7Zie-4goqs3-HfqTx2t9SGIacbZG7TTKcDRVpBq-Agm53JcY-VJ-THWw6jMZV_MMqRxVbTiYdZzj05djyos/s320/The+Generation+of+X.jpg" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Boles, <i>The Generation of X</i>, 2011. Aluminum and copper.<br />
27" x 54" x 1." Available for purchase–please contact the artist.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">I find attempts at the replication of reality on a flat surface to be
as difficult as it has ever been for those who attempt to do so. Whether
it is representational painting or photography, it still fails to transcend
into reality. Transmission of information is and always has been a
significant and important facet of what artists do; currently art manifests to
a large extent in the form of imagery that suggests immediate conditions with
regard to consumer-based realities and excesses. This legacy is not hard
to understand and follows a distinct line from Duchamp through the blatant and
"in your face" work of Warhol.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Social reflections such as these have become increasingly
pessimistic and unflattering, which is probably as it should be. This,
however, is not what defines art; it is merely a facet of the general pessimism
of many artists being reflected in some descriptive manner, but does not
accurately define art in the broader sense.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Even some of
the original purveyors of pessimistic approaches, Ad Reinhardt, Robert Morris,
and many others, believed that an awareness of the history of art was important
to be able to define the here-and-now. It is as if they sensed, as I do,
that the historical "stream" of art is culminating into a large pool
with little or no discernible direction. Frank Stella even suggested this
when asked at his Metropolitan Art Museum Exhibition of 2007, if he felt that modernism
had "run out of gas." His reply was that the notion was
"baloney," and that the things that were strong would carry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Some have tried
to quantify and classify the current trends in art; however, art does not seem
to want to follow any recognizable path at the moment. Traditional methods
of understanding imagery or lack of it cannot be easily applied, therefore the merit of works must be determined by some other means. Much of this
merit comes from a consumer based origin and mindset, and mirrors the culture
precisely. This enormous "quilt" of directions can only be seen
through the eyes of one who evaluates it sometime in the future, and the truly
meaningful designs upon this quilt will become blatantly obvious.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Michael Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05462310863627863248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1705605051950286488.post-52513234177743210242012-12-26T19:11:00.000-06:002012-12-26T19:11:50.312-06:00Statement–August 17, 2010, on "Stinger" and "Cerebral"
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaPFW1hnQL04IUPGLABcYX27ahSlbqLGOZS77jRMKjfagsrZv6yUuYJOi0KDHHSsHMX0Y3LfKDzcP9g1I5PEharCZpW3NeevLIPnZwsBuSjVQYHpS7PiR4cJaw5tebIzLMQLVY7G4Rs-Uv/s1600/Stinger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaPFW1hnQL04IUPGLABcYX27ahSlbqLGOZS77jRMKjfagsrZv6yUuYJOi0KDHHSsHMX0Y3LfKDzcP9g1I5PEharCZpW3NeevLIPnZwsBuSjVQYHpS7PiR4cJaw5tebIzLMQLVY7G4Rs-Uv/s320/Stinger.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Boles, <i>Stinger</i>, 2009. Aluminum, copper, bronze,<br />malachite, and hematite. 22" x 59" x 1." Private collection.</td></tr>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Stinger</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> and <i>Cerebral</i> are
abstract compositions that investigate the fluidity of sculptural material and the
interpretation of drawn line in metal. I intended to retain the original
linearity and visceral quality of my two-dimensional arrangements in the
three-dimensional realm. I wanted this to be an automatic process in the sense
that the linear qualities seemed naturally and effortlessly preserved from
drawing to sculpture. Working with these materials relates to art of the past
in terms of the devices and basic processes... but with a purpose that applies
to the here and now and of who I am as an artist in the twenty-first century.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
shapes used in <i>Stinger</i> and <i>Cerebral</i> are uniquely combined by my
own sense of art. These works are objects in and of themselves. They allude to
nothing but themselves and the imagery that makes up my visual world. They are
carriers of information; not that they convey some object, but that they
communicate my essence of reality. These works as well as my others draw on
obvious cultural signs, themes, and symbols, while reinventing the iconography
of each. In each sculpture, I attempt to define my sense of the abstract
through the subconscious marriage of deliberate, yet elusive, cultural symbols.
I also strive to manifest order, or even disorder, in an extremely intentional
manner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifPandWAiMzVwO7it2DJhNMkLXytNk2-Nc2v_UQzgEVS7iuneS5AJP6ZaEF1InPoe2yIsdEIeGnVnbiRVyloOE2J2xcSXw5kt0x18wQRkHCxZioV6G4R2NtniPkJMotxTZApMG2hpfezQh/s1600/Cerebral.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifPandWAiMzVwO7it2DJhNMkLXytNk2-Nc2v_UQzgEVS7iuneS5AJP6ZaEF1InPoe2yIsdEIeGnVnbiRVyloOE2J2xcSXw5kt0x18wQRkHCxZioV6G4R2NtniPkJMotxTZApMG2hpfezQh/s320/Cerebral.jpg" width="207" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Boles, <i>Cerebral</i>, 2009. Aluminum, copper,<br />and hematite. 35" x 77" x 1." Private collection.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<!--EndFragment-->Michael Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05462310863627863248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1705605051950286488.post-81468102806905117302012-12-21T07:55:00.000-06:002012-12-21T07:55:12.848-06:00Statement–April 26, 2010, on "The Demise of Ballisticism"
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhak-kQy7CLt3aMbyh9cTUi64-Mn6PjUXPXcBws-nMx167QJ-wATmZh1A4YJJwTFB57qdATLu8ArbFBKmIx95dLkqk6kHWqwuTm0BG-XzIPmV4i0GN9wUAiu5g2xscUhJ7E9b38dZWUi9n8/s1600/ballisticism.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhak-kQy7CLt3aMbyh9cTUi64-Mn6PjUXPXcBws-nMx167QJ-wATmZh1A4YJJwTFB57qdATLu8ArbFBKmIx95dLkqk6kHWqwuTm0BG-XzIPmV4i0GN9wUAiu5g2xscUhJ7E9b38dZWUi9n8/s320/ballisticism.png" width="249" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Boles, <i>The Demise of Ballisticism</i>, 2010. Aluminum, plywood, acrylic, malachite, copper,<br />bronze, and found objects. 46" x 60" x 1." Available for purchase–please contact the artist.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Our
throw-away society is not limited only to wrappers from those things which we
eat, read, or wear, but also includes our celebrities, politicians, and in
large part even our art. The "master works" of the mid-nineteenth
through the twentieth centuries are no more than selected examples of the tons
of artistic refuse that did not make it to notable status.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
title of this work, "The Demise of Ballisticism," is quite
tongue-in-cheek in this regard. Ballisticism refers to a fictitious art
movement that became a part of the trash heap before it even began. What
remains is a glimpse of the art, or the dart, or the heart, augering in, wings
aflame, dragging with it the endless texture and detritus of our consumer
driven lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
"false beard," symbol of authority and immortality in Ancient Egypt,
will play no role in this outcome…</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Michael Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05462310863627863248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1705605051950286488.post-75247514508387915552012-12-20T20:26:00.000-06:002012-12-20T20:26:19.813-06:00Statement–November 2012, On Being an Image-Maker Today, developed from essays dated 2006 & 2009
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtDf4ASpCgeKsRNLUDzll7VhDHC3HEZ_iPfdO1X5p_5hrkFbH-I5TX1rp_GZFyQMtgKYVk_K13rYGlhid_WS8EAqigogyHhibrhLwtogxO2nGmuEXaMrpU-wPCBh1c7CZQS9jIdqb63LQT/s1600/Heart+in+a+Spin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtDf4ASpCgeKsRNLUDzll7VhDHC3HEZ_iPfdO1X5p_5hrkFbH-I5TX1rp_GZFyQMtgKYVk_K13rYGlhid_WS8EAqigogyHhibrhLwtogxO2nGmuEXaMrpU-wPCBh1c7CZQS9jIdqb63LQT/s320/Heart+in+a+Spin.JPG" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Boles, <i>Heart in a Spin</i>, 2007. Pencil on vellum.<br />Available for purchase–please contact the artist.</td></tr>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I am
an image-maker. I would not like to think that it is no longer possible for art
to be based on just that. Conceptual trends have resulted in invisible art, and
intellectualization often falls short of describing pure aesthetic. Just as I
cannot describe how chocolate tastes, I cannot describe how my work makes me
feel. My process of working is visceral and my art reflects clear aesthetic
choices.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
recall being told in graduate school not to attempt to verbally justify my
work. This was the "camp" of the late 60's and early 70's. At the
time, I felt animosity toward my mentors (not instructors since they didn't
instruct); however, I realize now that they were trapped within their own
paradigm, and they were reluctant to teach because what was occurring in the
art world was nearly overwhelming to them. While being forbidden to discuss my
art in any depth made no sense to me then, and it doesn't to this day, it may
have prevented me from forming specific intellectual bases for my work. In
retrospect it may have been a blessing in disguise as I was freed to do pretty
much whatever I pleased artistically. I wasn't given a specific direction and,
perhaps in the process, I discovered what was real and beautiful to me, a path
I might not have traveled if my graduate professors had chosen a
"style" of art for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
imagery I use in my work can be both specific and open ended. I often use
familiar cultural signs and symbols that change with their new context and
allow iconography to develop for each viewer. This gives my designs a playful
quality, as they change in each context. The context of the shapes also
reflects my belief system and is manifested both randomly and deliberately.
Generally, the imagery is most successful when it comes from a fluid and
intuitive randomness. But the symbolism is not purely random–it is specific to
me and who I am.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
embrace and return to shapes that are unique to me, ones that fall within my
paradigm of art. I often think about the endless array of imagery that exists
beyond my paradigm and throughout the history of art. I am both limited by
imagery choices and structured by my images. I don't see my lack of knowledge
about facets of art as an abyss into which I could fall; rather, I see it as a
never-ending opportunity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
embrace the legacy of images prior to the twentieth century that are well
executed within the realm of pure abstraction. Their information lies in the
break with tradition and the embracing of modern ideas regardless of the
reason. Early religious imagery arose out of necessity for everyone involved.
This imagery is the open door. The religion of art of the twentieth century
suggests that you believe if you are drawn to the work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Today,
intellectualization has shoved art into a chasm with sides coated with all
those things no one has ever wanted to consider as media for making art. I feel
no necessity to go there. My imagery reflects the world that I love and hate, the
world that I embrace and reject, with little or no deference to either. I am a
product of my time. I am a piece of the here and now. I could be accused of
stoking the twentieth-century flame of pure abstraction while working with a
degree of "Old World" craftsmanship; however, I do not see these as
shortcomings. The work I create makes me feel good. I make my sculptures
because I am driven to do so by a force stronger than myself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Michael Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05462310863627863248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1705605051950286488.post-62209579808804243812012-12-19T08:54:00.000-06:002012-12-19T08:54:33.538-06:00Statement–November 2012, On Design and Composition, developed from essays dated 2006, 2007, & 2009
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyhpGyse0xJffho-bBVEZO2PxnT5tnKBuV6U3gtllPaso-wLFPQD3fTEV2CbXFOp7CYsiaPiyDO6Mz0YmMjk1x1ywWpH197R4_zDBTzgUAU90XlnHLGcGjv9gZLCcO9Ak6nLDRFbE8-1Ro/s1600/It's+How+I+Feel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyhpGyse0xJffho-bBVEZO2PxnT5tnKBuV6U3gtllPaso-wLFPQD3fTEV2CbXFOp7CYsiaPiyDO6Mz0YmMjk1x1ywWpH197R4_zDBTzgUAU90XlnHLGcGjv9gZLCcO9Ak6nLDRFbE8-1Ro/s320/It's+How+I+Feel.JPG" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Boles, <i>It's How I Feel</i>, 2007. Aluminum, bronze, onyx, marble, nacre, and acrylic.<br />18" x 25" x 1." Available for purchase–please contact the artist.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">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.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For
example, the sculpture called <i>It's How I Feel</i> developed from conscious
and subconscious designs. <i>It's How I Feel</i> 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 <i>Southern Crossing</i>, and the composition just seemed like it wanted
to be a valentine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">With <i>It's
How I Feel</i>, 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.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">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.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">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.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Michael Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05462310863627863248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1705605051950286488.post-87777551198133220992012-12-18T17:04:00.000-06:002012-12-19T16:16:52.328-06:00Statement–November 2012, Art Affirms Our Existence, developed from essays dated 2006 & 2009<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTG_gsxOkPakMj6PszUp5LyaPY4DVLfFFcq52GvnBH-Ihc-gGiQcAChrnFiemHOzhDxdLYmO22vi5CE2HxCmGtxAHdblBP0YUKACiDqDlf0uWKQ8QJftw-nFRZF-xEwL0HOSB93qLYBIgZ/s1600/Harlequin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTG_gsxOkPakMj6PszUp5LyaPY4DVLfFFcq52GvnBH-Ihc-gGiQcAChrnFiemHOzhDxdLYmO22vi5CE2HxCmGtxAHdblBP0YUKACiDqDlf0uWKQ8QJftw-nFRZF-xEwL0HOSB93qLYBIgZ/s320/Harlequin.jpg" width="207" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Boles, <i>Harlequin</i>, 2009. Aluminum, copper, <br />
onyx, and malachite. 48" x 80" x 1." Private collection.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 6.5in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We make art to affirm our own existence and finiteness. Yet,
when we experience loss in life, we are catapulted into a renewed sense of what
is truly finite in this world. With loss, the boundaries of life are brought to
the foreground, and we are forced to reflect on our lives and on our work.
Sometimes I feel the more art I make the less I understand it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 6.5in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For me, making art is not about selling work, but it is
about diving into the philosophies of art and life in such a way that questions
everything I thought I knew. To continue down my path of image-making
requires fortitude that I am not always sure I possess. I love what I do, but
it torments me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Making abstract art can drive one crazy. It is a hard place
to go, constantly exploring with nothing to support yourself but pencil, paper,
and desire. I know now that certain symbols, such as hearts, flags, and human
figures, are important in my work as they keep me out of the abyss in some way.
They provide me with the boundaries that are not always obvious in life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Traditionally,
art would be an extension of ourselves into the future, but contemporary
directions attempt to deny that as being significant. In the past, it was
physical artwork that created one's legacy. Art defined who you were and shaped
your history. Unlike many of the sensationalist artists of today, who live only
for the money they can make in the present moment, I still believe it is a
function of art to affirm our existence and to respond to the edges of life.</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: yellow; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-highlight: yellow;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Michael Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05462310863627863248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1705605051950286488.post-83064886362066511062012-11-23T16:05:00.000-06:002012-11-23T16:06:00.454-06:00Statement–August 2009, on "Priscilla," first published in the catalogue "Michael Boles: The 2007-2009 Anna Lamar Switzer Endowed Teaching Chair"<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm5z8VpfK5weAtOfzuohOaNmgo89I0G8EOl4GUeAb-lSC3pGx9Wt2MvV8DFhdMLFRS1pDA621r-gC611DCpglUekLAbsMzRmOp4uzGzjbByocKAAIgrSIlFAiwp0nmgp2s04us1aA3YuA2/s1600/priscilla.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm5z8VpfK5weAtOfzuohOaNmgo89I0G8EOl4GUeAb-lSC3pGx9Wt2MvV8DFhdMLFRS1pDA621r-gC611DCpglUekLAbsMzRmOp4uzGzjbByocKAAIgrSIlFAiwp0nmgp2s04us1aA3YuA2/s320/priscilla.png" width="209" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Boles, <i>Priscilla</i>, 2008. Aluminum, pigmented silicone, bronze, lexan, and acrylic.<br />
39" x 89" x 1." Available for purchase–please contact the artist.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Priscilla</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">. She's got to be my favorite. She was
my first, that is, in this digital series. She is, however, somewhat of a
hybrid, as there is a considerable amount of hand-cut metal in her. At the time
my digital learning curve resembled something akin to how my EKG would look
during a wild pig attack. Nonetheless, she works well for me, and holds the
inaugural water jet sculpture title.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">How often do we
have a huge pimple come up on our nose or get hit in the eye with a rock doing
yard work prior to a formal event? After much deliberation and attempts at
augmenting her name with things such as, "Ruby," "Bump,"
and even "Aneurism," I decided that Priscilla alone was good enough.
One mustn't dwell on her momentary shortcomings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">As she was
being made I felt as though I was preparing her for some grand ball or event.
When I was finishing her surface I thought back about some "impossible to
name" movie I saw in which Janet Leigh (I think) was having some kind of
stuff smeared on her face before a grand ball. It must have been cold cream or
something, but I remember at the time wondering if there was anything in the
known world that you could smear on Janet Leigh to make her look better. Funny
how the mind works.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">And then there
is her tiara. I lost a lot of sleep puzzling over her tiara. I could not decide
what to do with it, whether to polish it to a mirror finish or patina it dark
or a myriad of other options in between. It once fell, hit the concrete floor,
and bent one of the tines, which prompted me to look up tiaras online. Another
morning was wasted when I got sidetracked looking up Jerry Falwell and nearly
imported a virus, the only time that has ever happened to my Mac. Spiros
[Zachos] bailed me out and told me to not go back to that site. I accepted his
wisdom, returned to task, and found out that Queen Elizabeth II ostensibly had
the largest collection of priceless tiaras in the world (go figure), many from
Queen Alexandra who didn't need them anymore. I also found out that Wonder
Woman used her tiara as a weapon. The irony was almost overwhelming. I decided
that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Priscilla</i>'s tiara should look
worn, used, and used again, but not necessarily as a means of dispatching a
foe. It then struck me that the finish couldn't be that important since one
can't tell from a distance a priceless tiara from one purchased from Toys-R-Us
without cheaters on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYVcX_eYpc9yO1-BuNe-vOh3OA5zWJRKXXbuRgFh_oUUOdCP2ssIvUDpiNwtpr2K__-wj5x7YHCendcgzYsGQ58RHuwptrq024SZkmMNjXbtPerqqVanR5LE3ApWVLUwbGdGGY29V1a6B4/s1600/tiara.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYVcX_eYpc9yO1-BuNe-vOh3OA5zWJRKXXbuRgFh_oUUOdCP2ssIvUDpiNwtpr2K__-wj5x7YHCendcgzYsGQ58RHuwptrq024SZkmMNjXbtPerqqVanR5LE3ApWVLUwbGdGGY29V1a6B4/s320/tiara.jpeg" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Boles, detail of <i>Priscilla</i>, 2008. Aluminum, pigmented silicone, bronze, lexan, and acrylic.<br />
39" x 89" x 1." Available for purchase–please contact the artist.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<!--EndFragment-->Michael Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05462310863627863248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1705605051950286488.post-3875849031694912562012-11-22T21:38:00.001-06:002012-11-22T21:38:52.559-06:00Statement–August 4, 2009, first published in the catalogue "Michael Boles: The 2007-2009 Anna Lamar Switzer Endowed Teaching Chair"
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizJCfXp2tzDHTHb4zGzT9owtlPHyKJheVnu7c-Qd0vM1Rg0L0wkHfJNjPlMDtcMAn0fXtr5SayobLDsCQPnsBwnZhkHKVR4YFBl4ZH1ZAAzWptAqlDX86TnU_wS-Fyc0dD00Dq2dFijJlk/s1600/venus.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizJCfXp2tzDHTHb4zGzT9owtlPHyKJheVnu7c-Qd0vM1Rg0L0wkHfJNjPlMDtcMAn0fXtr5SayobLDsCQPnsBwnZhkHKVR4YFBl4ZH1ZAAzWptAqlDX86TnU_wS-Fyc0dD00Dq2dFijJlk/s320/venus.png" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Boles, <i>The Venus of Newgrange</i>, 2009. Aluminum, copper, and chrisacola.<br />48" x 84" x 1." Available for purchase–please contact the artist.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">There is little or
no difference between the objects our ancient ancestors required for survival
and the objects that they coveted. This is the same reality for us in the here
and now. The value of useful and functional items in relation to those
which are purely for visual or visceral gratification has evolved, and this mirrors
the whole of history and the flux of human condition. The thing that is the
most interesting is why nonfunctional items such as works of art have become
more expensive and sought after rather than those that are useful and
functional.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One cannot explain away the phenomena of the monetary value
of paintings by artists such as Van Gogh or Vermeer. The craft of their
work is only a small part of why their work demands the respect that it
does. Scarcity and notoriety are understandable, but the way in which the
general public canonizes artisans must amount to more than just those basic
tenets.<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Michael Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05462310863627863248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1705605051950286488.post-77009492865024695662012-11-21T08:51:00.000-06:002012-11-21T12:16:47.315-06:00Statement–August 3, 2009, On Color<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbiTtP4RJDKJ3euEN_cYNZyhK12frgPfD2RRTPlFSyb2tFn1lhO4Al-ege9jCA44NztWETQYQh6mBwQ05pxb7hsW35FRq0iJz9wW1KtFJGUO7glrEkVvwrxrhRpQ1BcP1kY8CgVj-79TEY/s1600/armor+piercing+det.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbiTtP4RJDKJ3euEN_cYNZyhK12frgPfD2RRTPlFSyb2tFn1lhO4Al-ege9jCA44NztWETQYQh6mBwQ05pxb7hsW35FRq0iJz9wW1KtFJGUO7glrEkVvwrxrhRpQ1BcP1kY8CgVj-79TEY/s320/armor+piercing+det.jpeg" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Boles, detail of <i>Armor Piercing</i>, 2009. Aluminum,<br />
urethane, jasper, and acrylic. 46" x 80" x 1." Private collection.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">I have never thought of myself as a colorist. I know color, but
I prefer to use it directly, aggressively, and as punctuation. Almost all
of the works that I have done with color deal with physical properties, rather
than the emotional effects that color can generate. The exception to this
is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Armor Piercing</i>, in which I attempt
to create a heightened sense of aggression with the color red.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">When one looks at abstract painting, one has to deal with some form
of transformation of an illusion into an understandable reality. The
Abstract Expressionists were among the first to attempt to deny this
transformation by insisting that what they were producing was only paint on a
surface and nothing more. Most of Western society has almost fully
embraced this concept, whether it is agreed with or not.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The
relationship between color and abstract painting is obvious, however it remains
two dimensional and illusional. The tantalizing thing about relief
sculpture is that the illusion is gone; they are fundamentally what they are.
They exist within our own reality and cannot be interpreted within the realm of
illusion. This dichotomy created by utilizing "real" materials on a
surface, which is usually reserved for painting, can be disconcerting and
appealing at the same time. An additional element exists in conjunction
with the surface. In the case of my reliefs, it is aluminum, stone,
bronze, and other materials that make the composition. One's interpretation
and/or appreciation of the work must come from some different place–generally
from somewhere at least once removed from the aesthetic of painting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Michael Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05462310863627863248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1705605051950286488.post-25533049626995236942012-11-20T10:48:00.001-06:002012-11-20T10:48:46.058-06:00Statement–August 3, 2009, On the Heart Shape, first published in the catalogue "Michael Boles: The 2007-2009 Anna Lamar Switzer Endowed Teaching Chair"
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnBFKerva4Fx4eSRQz8_VWLGk-x8Z3ISS_2-WoFWCOeJcbV4JqEd9YsTTbrqkcYwA8im91DSsm6TXYb0HknrlwuNRD_kj8zKAhOYKX59qggc6zSJo76nLuJ5cFk3VvrZQCOutSRwwmnhHw/s1600/armor+piercing.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnBFKerva4Fx4eSRQz8_VWLGk-x8Z3ISS_2-WoFWCOeJcbV4JqEd9YsTTbrqkcYwA8im91DSsm6TXYb0HknrlwuNRD_kj8zKAhOYKX59qggc6zSJo76nLuJ5cFk3VvrZQCOutSRwwmnhHw/s320/armor+piercing.png" width="196" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Boles, <i>Armor Piercing</i>, 2009. Aluminum, urethane, jasper, and acrylic.<br />46" x 80" x 1." Private collection.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">The heart shape is a recurring theme in my work. I like the
universality of the symbol; it lends itself to endless meanings when used in
context with other shapes. We each have our own unique feeling about the shape,
which makes it an ideal carrier of information. I don't use the symbol to
express anything in particular such as love or affection; instead I use its
universal appeal as a point of departure for compositions that redefine the
meaning of the symbol itself.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Armor Piercing</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"> is a good
example of how the heart shape has been co-opted as a vehicle of
expression. Most consider the heart shape to be quite feminine for obvious
and historical reasons. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Armor
Piercing</i>, on the other hand, is quite masculine and phallic, and it suggests
aggression, confrontation, and possibly violence. The contrast of these
two ideas comes together to redefine each.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Michael Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05462310863627863248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1705605051950286488.post-81207957699239552582012-11-19T08:21:00.000-06:002012-11-19T08:21:20.232-06:00Statement–August 3, 2009, on "Ten Stars," first published in the catalogue "Michael Boles: The 2007-2009 Anna Lamar Switzer Endowed Teaching Chair"
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0HciBUt5fRqLbiyVjqsc-Xxml7m-5_nKHOaFjyD7ARj8o3CXPP2rJsykMMCV5F4Odmqw5GgHK6G5jjwk_m4jW1mENaIkCX9dVdC7xjjQ-DnLZsFPQKUbt3JbKmP6ggThWoEdz4RCTK_1/s1600/ten+stars.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0HciBUt5fRqLbiyVjqsc-Xxml7m-5_nKHOaFjyD7ARj8o3CXPP2rJsykMMCV5F4Odmqw5GgHK6G5jjwk_m4jW1mENaIkCX9dVdC7xjjQ-DnLZsFPQKUbt3JbKmP6ggThWoEdz4RCTK_1/s320/ten+stars.png" width="207" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Boles, <i>Ten Stars</i>, 2009. Aluminum, bronze, pigmented silicone, malachite, and acrylic.<br />38" x 72" x 1." Available for purchase–please contact the artist.</td></tr>
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<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Ten Stars</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"> is not the same as "Tin Stars," an obvious anachronistic
slur at designated keepers of the peace; however, the suggestion functions very
well as a part of this composition. Strangely enough, the purpose of law
enforcement and artists are similar; both attempt to make this world a better
place in which to live by actions that are not always agreed upon by the
general public. Both are often immeasurably sensitive and often insanely
brutal. For me, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ten Stars</i> is more
about the realization that any number of seemingly unrelated shapes or symbols
such as an American flag can come together to produce a viable and evocative
composition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is much more to the American flag than meets the eye.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This piece contains a symmetry of sorts; however the
presence of a variety of elements leaves a palpable degree of uncertainty
regarding its meaning. Contained within are suggestions of the American national
identity, Ionic Greek capitals, prehistoric fossil formations, mysterious
organic growth, as well as what I like to call, "five o-clock shadow."
All of these symbolic references are purely intuitive, but by their context
tend to redefine themselves.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We live in a world of signs, symbols, and directions, so
much that we no longer need to read the "fine print" to understand
what they all mean. Context has always been a primary venue for artists of
the twentieth century, and I feel that the interpretation of this work as well
as most all of my other recent works deals directly with how one understands or
relates to this context.</div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Michael Boleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05462310863627863248noreply@blogger.com0