Artist Statement

Several years ago an associate suggested that I temporarily set aside my brushes and move from painting to sculpture. The opportunity came in a class experience that focused on teaching painters to think in three-dimensional terms and it forced me to move from painting's comfortable territory into the uncertain realm of sculpture.

My approach to sculpture was casual and informal as I decided to experiment with common materials such as safety pins, buttons, can tabs, bottle caps, neckties, broken jewelry and many other discarded or forgotten objects.
I frequented flea markets, salvage or resale stores, and garage sales. The process of collecting and gathering these ordinary objects seemed to elevate them above the commonplace.

The next step in the evolution of my sculpture experience came after several months of handling these gathered objects. I remained uncertain where it was leading until a fellow artist picked up a half-finished piece I had been working on and threw it over her shoulders. As this scrap of "art" conformed to her figure, I saw the wide-ranging possibilities of a new medium.

With that recognition, my involvement in sculpture expanded from the technical aspect of making art into working with ideas: a series of sculptured garments with each acting as a metaphor for a specific attitude or custom of our culture. I have focused on garments as portraiture, as commentary, and as satire.

My process begins with a welding torch and quarter-inch steel rod. The resulting armature can function merely as a support or it can playa definitive role in the design of the piece. The materials that are selected and worked into the fabric contribute to the meaning of the garment. The meticulous nature of the construction and the combining of dissimilar materials tend to draw the viewer into the work. In return, the viewer completes the process by bringing a personal interpretation to the piece.

MARILYN ANNIN