Patrick Gracewood

Sculpture is the art form that best deals with eternity and mortality because it lasts for centuries. Most of what we know of the deep past comes from graves, personal or cultural.

I've always loved art of the ancient world and enjoy collapsing time between then and now in my own work: An Ancient Egyptian cell phone? A Tang Dynasty reliquary? Not a problem for my imagination.

Professionally I made sculpture for film, tv, the display industry. Creating architectural ornament for new buildings and historic restoration was the most satisfying, again because it lasts. All the film work went into the dumpster at the end of filming. This architectural work influenced my own fine art, philosophically and technically. I never expected it to integrate into my own work but it has, to my great surprise.
 

The classical nature motifs used as architectural ornament: acanthus, oak, laurel leaves, fruit-and-flower garlands represent a long tradition honoring the relationship between civilization and nature. Human beings inherently crave the comfort of civilization and the vitality of nature. The combination of nature, sculpture and architecture is part of our cultural heritage. My art continues the classical tradition of connecting the natural and the built environments.

As a life long gardener, I bring the garden inside as inspiration and take the sculpture outside. Placing sculpture thoughtfully changes it from an object into part of an environment. I believe that art about our relationship with the living Earth is art that will speak to future generations.