Copperhead Studios
I am an artist, because when I try not to be an artist it hurts.
I am a Cajun, and I never try not to be.
I work with copper because I love shiny objects.
Walter Mason is a Berlin-based artist who creates land art.
Lucky for us, he photographs it all before it disappears.
Beautiful Land Art by Walter Mason
via NotCot; Kuriositas
Who….. Me and my Dad
What…. Salvaging Cypress for the Contemporary Cajun Series
Why….. because nothing compares to naturally weathered cypress, and because my dad is cool =)
When… Half-time during the Saints game, October 2011
Where.. On my family’s sugarcane farm
LIKE’ my facebook page … it’s a great place to see my artwork~!
http://www.facebook.com/CopperheadStudios
Johnny Wise, aka, Tommy Baudoin playing some ragtime on the 100 yr old piano in the Pine Shack at the Shackup Inn… Clarksdale, Ms… Birthplace of the Blues.. Home of The Ground Zero Blues Club…
Lis Flections
Measures 30x30”
Created with cut industrial mirror… Inspired by my disco ball hanging in the studio
Because… Discoballs make people happy =)
Writing an artist statement is a grueling task. Ask any artist, they will likely tell you the same. It is a process that forces you to be introspective. Being a visual artist, I use imagery to speak for me rather than words. So, while I’m a decent writer, this is a major challenge.
Putting into words why I do what I do, work with the materials I work with, and create the subject matter I create.
OH! and did I mention it has to be short?? lmao.. like that’s simple for me… NOT! (if you know me well, you’re laughing now)
So, this is what I have been working on.. if you’ve noticed that I’ve slowed down in producing new work… it’s because I’m producing something way out of my comfort zone… which I do believe will make me a better, more focused artist.
I never knew about these things… that they were necessary steps to an actual career as an artist. So, I thought I’d share some of this… just incase somebody thinks it’s interesting… lol, and because my family is sick of hearing about it… hehe
So, here’s something I have that I’m happy with…far from done..and the funny thing is that this hit me while I was filling the truck with gas yesterday at Sams… thank God for my iphone notes =) it’s prob good, cause I didn’t think too much, it just came out like this… so it’s real.
*** My work is imperfect, I love that about it. I did not at first, at first; I struggled to find a way to perfect patinas. I struggled to find a way to perfect a design on copper. Being an unachievable goal, I came to learn that what was most beautiful about my work, was that it was imperfect. And in the imperfection, was where the beauty lied.
I can paint acid to create a tree, a nearly perfect tree, but when I rinse the acids, a necessary part of the process, it will flake off, bleed, sometimes completely change… These are the things that make my work most beautiful. These things give it an unmatched quality, something serendipitous. Something that can never be duplicated… Now it is rare… And rare is luxurious
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This cypress truck is a great example of what I’m talking about. Created within a commission piece for Ms Peggy Bourg… You can see how the black of the trunk is not solid. This is where the acid has flaked off in areas. I have only a small amount of control over this. Ultimately, I came to realize that this occurring actually gives the tree character… a realness. The shades of copper reviled beneath the flaking are completely to chance… embracing this part of my process is for me like embracing fate. Working with what has become, learning to love what is…. it’s soulful, it’s mature, it’s maybe learning to love what is, is how peace is achieved. Maybe this is why when I work, I am peaceful.
Waiting on a film crew. Reality Show about interesting Cajun women. Apparently, I’m interesting.
”Really the color will make you turn around to see what it is” that’s a quote by my sculpture friend Jeanine van der Loo …
In response to this Facebook post ..
Question.. What attracts you first, color or style?? For anything :)
Contemporary Cajun
Deep pride for my heritage presents itself as iconic images of Louisiana. A glance at my artwork tells you I am Cajun. Using the brilliance of a copper plate, with the organic colors and textures of patinas; I intend to turn a glance into intrigue.
My art is about processes, passions, and luxury. I am drawn to materials that require physical processes. Sanding, grinding, torching make me feel alive. Using combinations of acids, heat, and humidity as my ‘paints’, processes have merged with images that represent my passions. Copper is my luxury. Having grown from the days of scouring clearance isles for paints and canvases, I now work the most luxurious metal on earth.