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The strange and the beautiful
Posted On 05/08/2008 06:19:35 by FloydB
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I was just bumming around YouTube yesterday (something which is guaranteed to help me find ways to waste an awful lot of time), just looking for some videos that I might be able to learn something from, when I ran across some relief carving demonstrations by Scott McNeil. He posts under the username of ScottMcNeilArt and you can find his videos there on YouTube and also on his own website at www.ScottMcNeilArt.com
Watching him carve and looking at his finished products, I was struck by two things in particular.
Firstly, I was impressed by his style and obvious skill. There is a video called "Stages of a multi-dimensional relief carving" (see it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10gStfTPBfg ) that just floored me. I hope, after many years of practice, to eventually have a fraction of the skill and ability that Mr. McNeil obviously has in abundance. And it is not just technical mastery, either. His carvings have a unique "flavor" that I don;t think I have seen in anyone else's work yet... something that marks his work as distinctly his own.
The second thing that I was struck by while looking at his work was the way he chooses to finish his carvings. I can't even begin to describe the technique he uses to complete his work. It is best, really, if you go see for yourself and then come back here.
Don't worry. I will wait until you have had a look....
..... (sounds of humming).............
Back? OK....
See what I mean?
The first time I looked at his work, I thought at first that it was just a painting. Then I noticed that there were figures underneath that paining. And then I watched his demo and saw all of the DETAIL that was being almost masked by the painting.... and that really hurt.
Don't misunderstand me: Mr. McNeil's work is all his own (of course) and I am most impressed by it, the end result included. This is not a criticism.... just an observation. I am puzzled by the fact that he would put sooooooo much work into the carving and then finish it in a way that detracts from that wonderful detail.
I have yet to really look through his website to see if there is somewhere there where he explains the philosophy behind his work but I intend to do that. His front page states "Linear Perception is so limited in it’s ability to grasp ‘higher’ truths. What I’m doing with my multiple dimensional painted sculpture is developing a new visual language to reach beyond the boundaries of time, space and solitary perspective"... but I am not quite sure that I can wrap my head around what he means. Perhaps there is something else there to explain what it all.
But whatever his philosophy and logic may be, one thing is certain: his work was striking and unusual enough to catch my attention.... and worthy enough to make me want to write about it here.
Thanks for listening...
Floyd
Tags: Carving Art Links Unusual
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