Michael D. Harris
Artist Statement
Waterway Series
25o20’N 81o04’W
The Waterway series explores the visual dynamics of transforming aerial views of the Everglades’ waterways into three dimensional sculptures. My goal was to create sculptures that pay homage to this natural environment by transforming the landscape in a way that might give the viewer a chance to reexamine this beauty in an objectified form. Through the process of cutting, layering and gluing plywood, these works continue to follow my method of creating constructed landscapes or, in this case, waterscapes. By making the edge of the plywood the primary focus of the work’s surface, the variation of color and line gives the work a topographical appearance reminiscent of landscape. Using nature as the visual starting point and incorporating a common housing material as the medium, the completed work returns the material back to its organic origins. Ironically, this newly transformed organic form looks as if it may be a natural piece of wood that could have been found in the same area of nature from which it was inspired.
The funding for this project is provided in part by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council and is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.