Using my previous work, Whirl as the inspiration, Bloom is my first fully realized color piece. I was hesitant to paint my pieces because I was so enamored with the natural color of the wood. However, after seeing how beautifully Bloom came to life, my world has expanded and I have so many more works in color, natural wood, and a combination of the two, in mind and in process.

In keeping with the theme of this series, Bloom is both a noun and verb adding to the cognitive dissonance in my work: creating natural forms from manmade objects. Also, Bloom as reminds me of an ornamental cabbage you might see on someone's front lawn - I love the whimsey in that.

46 cm high x 38 cm wide x 9 cm depth

Bloom

I've started to pay attention to layering these pieces more carefully hoping to add more movement. As I was creating the piece the sections seemed to be dancing with each other, which gave me the inspiration for the title.

Mounted on canvas board 41 cm x 33 x 9 cm / 16" x 13" x 3.5".

Sway

I take everyday objects and collect and arrange them until they are transformed into something beautiful, unexpected, fun. I start with an idea of how I would like the piece to look. I am guided by the imperfections in the materials and by capitalizing on those imperfections allows the work to flow through me.

Mounted on canvas board 46 cm x 38 x 9 cm / 15" x 18" x 3.5".

Whirl

A lot of my work uses discarded objects. This piece is made with used matches (except one), covered in nonflammable silicone. When I assembled this piece it started to take on the appearance of a bed of sea anemones. I like the juxtaposition of using trash to recall something living, something burnt to recall a sea creature. I hope this piece is a reminder that the struggle to save our environment and to care for our limited precious resources must continue.

Housed in a wooded frame 21 x 30.5x 8 cm / 8.25" x 12" x 3.25".

The Scorched Sea

This was the first in this series of toothpick creations. When I created this work, I planned the positioning of the pieces on one side and was a bit more care free with the other. The result was that the planned side became more chaotic and the the care free one became more ordered.

Housed in a recycled box 15,5 cm high x 24 cm wide x 7 cm depth/ 6" high x 9.5" wide x 2.75" depth.

Crash

I started to play with combining shapes to see what would emerge. As I started creating this it reminded me of single cell organisms that were reproducing and thus the title Divide. In keeping with a theme for these works, the titles are both noun and verb representing the duality of my work: living cells reproducing represented by hard dried toothpicks.

Mounted on canvas board 38 cm x 46 x 9 cm / 15" x 18" x 3.5".

Divide

I've started to pay attention to layering these pieces more carefully hoping to add more movement. As I was creating the piece the sections seemed to be dancing with each other, which gave me the inspiration for the title.

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Aaron Santos Boyd-Rochman