Risk

  A long time ago, I learned that risk taking was an important part of creating art. That is how art keeps progressing, nothing new comes from playing it safe. That concept naturally made sense to me as I’ve always wanted to produce works in my own style. 

  Risk is not limited to going in your own direction, but can also be present in the actual creation of a piece. It has been said that often you must risk losing the work itself in it’s creation, and I have taken paintings too far at times. At times this is not initially visible, but later on when I have distanced myself from the work emotionally, it can be plain to see. Sometimes I have not only salvaged the piece but improved it more than I could have imagined. 

  The same concept applies to my works in wood. I have let pieces in progress sit for a long time until I have come to an decision about them. Some have gone in another direction, others remain in that state never to be taken an further. They have served the purpose of giving me knowledge and understanding of where I can go with a future piece. 

  This is a current piece which is in progress. It has been hollowed and then covered with over 1200 small holes. It was not until I had spent many hours making the holes and giving the piece some depth, that I realized my vision was something different than what I had created. Yesterday was a day for risk, and I decided I need to remove massive quantities of wood. With a large drill bit, I began the process. It still will require many hours of time to open up even larger voids in the piece. I do not know if it will have the structure necessary to survive, but I have surprised myself before. If it breaks, then so be it but I have to remain clear in my vision and continue to chase it. 

  Risk has always made art exciting and fun for me, it keeps me interested and becomes an exploration of unchartered territory. While success builds confidence, I do not consider anything less than this to be failure, only a way to knowledge on how to get where I want to go. 

  What are your feelings on taking risk with your works? Do you look forward to it or fear it?