Chris Fletcher

 

Chris Fletcher is a California native who has been carving stone in Santa Barbara for the last 21 years. Working in stone, he creates sculptures ranging from organic abstracts to figurative forms. He challenges himself to capture the qualities of beauty and strength in his sculpture and to infuse the work with a visual sensation that the sculpture is alive.  Success is the viewer experiencing the strength and beauty of the captured moment.

 

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Artist Statement

 

The beauty of line and form has always drawn me to create figurative artwork. My personal reaction to the highs and lows of life are what I am exploring with my art. I attempt to show that regardless of circumstances there is strength and beauty to be found in living. I challenge myself to capture these qualities in my sculpture and to infuse the work with a visual sensation that the sculpture is alive.  My goal is that the viewer can experience the strength and beauty of that moment.

 

Creating sculpture is a delicate balance between the medium, my muse, and myself.  My work develops a relationship between these three elements. My creative process combines the mediums limitations and possibilities, my muse’s inspiration, and my intentions and direction. My muse varies with each project, being a person for one sculpture, the environment for another and the materials I am working with in another project. I push the medium as far as possible and then some. The limitations of the medium contribute in defining the final sculpture. The central focus of my artwork is to create an inspiring blend of my medium, my muse and myself.

 

By working with different mediums I have the luxury to decide what material will work best for each project. The project will dictate the material. If a human figure is the subject and I want it to be as close to lifelike as possible, I will use plaster or stone. If the piece is intended for the outdoors the medium is considered for it durability. The limitation of time and size are also considered. Seldom do I know when I begin a project what the final piece will be like in detail. I accept influence throughout the process of creation from my subject and the possibilities of the material I am working with.