Mark Cantrell for Cactus Gallery
Artist Statement
Mark Cantrell, Silver City, New Mexico.
My artwork is done mostly by trees. Although in most cases time, decay, and weather did have a lot to say as well. I figure my job comes towards the end. That seasonal building of layers and the odd shapes formed in response to the forces of the surrounding world, tell a long and old story.
So I read that story and try to find the spirit of something more hidden within. I have to believe the trees have something to tell us. They are aware of who and what we are. Perhaps we should be more thoughtful. Perhaps we should listen.
With each piece I resist the urge to interfere with the gestures and expressions already so clear in the wood. It is a minimalist thing. How little can I do and still reveal the internal life of each piece.
In addition to all of this, I am also deeply influenced by the art in children’s books, folk art from around the world, and devotional art in all forms. Ancient stone and bone carvings and paint and etched work in caves and canyon walls all stir something.
In the end, I think I will become more like wood. What more can I do but add to the long and old story with another ring of growth, and one day return to the living richness of the forest floor?
