A Cell of One’s Own: John Robert Craft

June 5th – September 12th 2010

A Cell of One's Own: John Robert Craft

John Robert Craft is an artist and rancher who lives and works in the panhandle region of Texas, which, according to him is a large component of his work.  Craft says that "working with and caring for animals and using equipment that was perfected in the nineteenth century are activities that have served to develop a strong sense of craftsmanship in me. The best cowmen and range managers are at heart artists synthesizing various information from myriad sources; while the cowboy who handles the cattle is a consummate craftsman: his success in doing his job effectively and safely depends on a fine judgment of position and timing in relation to the cow and a confidence in the soundness of his equipment.

slice spheresSlice Spheres, 2010.  John Robert Craft.  Cast iron.  Courtesy the artist. © 2010

 

John Robert Craft relates his artistic vision to his life and experiences raising commercial beef cattle in the panhandle of Texas.  He states, "The clarity of this region and the harsh integrity of this labor have informed my work in the visual arts. These two seemingly dissimilar occupations have worked together over the years to enrich my life in many ways. Living in the elements to the degree that I have has afforded me the opportunity to experience much beauty and to hone my aesthetic sensibility." The materials and processes he utilizes also communicate the literal weight and significance Craft places on what he calls "an increasingly plastic world." He"...use[s] whatever process the object suggest[s] in order to project the; or at least some truth of the object to a plainer surface."

castingJack Craft casting the "Slice Spheres" © 2010

Beginning as styrofoam spheres, each of John Robert Crafts "Slice Spheres" undergoes a rigorous casting and patination process.  Craft briefly describes how the spheres are transformed and reinterpreted: "...I cut each sphere roughly in half then turned it 90 degrees and made a second cut so that each piece is composed of four quartered sphere slices that have been reconfigured in as many different ways as I could conceive.  I made small models in three sessions working intuitively rather than by following a preconceived plan."

This exhibition will feature not only the cast sphere sculptures but an installation of site-specific drawings created using some of the sculpture itself.  In reference to his drawings Craft states, "As a maker of objects it is second nature to me to seek to use the objects as tools. I began to make drawings and prints using the objects to create an image that highlights the surface, weight, and dimension of the object/tool. I try to make as few marks as is necessary to convey the information of the object to the paper. These images end up appearing as pure abstractions or as some form of minimalism."

A Cell of One's Own: John Robert Craft will be on view in the upper galleries of the 1877 old jail building June 5 - September 12, 2010.