Sculpture Studio Spring 2010

Project 1: Process
ANALYSIS

     A major difference between artworks that are process-based and those that are not is that, in process-related work, the work functions as a record of the relationship and time spent between the artist and the piece’s materials. When a viewer looks at a painting or drawing there is an immediate focus on what is being seen – is the work realistic or abstract? These works do not function as a marker for a period of time; they are more of an impression or representation. But with process artworks, such as the work of sculptor Jackie Winsor, the actual, physical piece serves to portray just how long the artist was committed to a certain practice and a certain material(s).
     For example, in Winsor’s piece Four Corners (1972), the sense of the process behind the work is gained through the work’s sheer mass and weight. At 1500 pounds, the weight of the work illustrates Winsor’s dedication to the process she established for the piece’s creation – wrapping twine collected from old ropes around the corners of a frame until the wrapped corners overtook the entire frame and this process was repeated four days a week for six months.

     A key thought to have in mind when thinking about process artwork and process artists is that the final piece – whatever it may be – is often a marker or form of remembrance to the hours, days, and sometimes even months of work that the artist established as being essential to the creative process. What the viewer is able to see is simply the by-product of these commitments to materials and processes. Of course this thought raises the point that don’t all forms of art have some form of process to them? Of course the answer is yes – sculptures, paintings and prints alike could not be made without some form of creative process. Yet many of these works hide or leave their creation as a process known only to the artist and the viewer is only left with the final product. Process-orientated work stands apart from this as knowing and understanding the creative process allows for a new appreciation and understanding of the final piece that could not be created in any other way then how the artist intended.