The nature of industry: sculpture by Michael Fernambucq
Moss Rock Festival
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT SERIES
Michael Fernambucq, Sculpture
What artists have influenced you?
Its not so much any particular artist themselves or their works that influence me but more their persistence & drive that pushes & drives me. My greatest source of inspiration is nature for nature holds a great deal of subtle wisdom that one can obtain if they have the patience.
What exposure to art as a child influenced your career path?
I was formally introduced to art early in life. My grandmother was an artist and I spent a lot of time watching her transform blank white canvas into amazing paintings stroke for stroke. I unknowingly was gaining knowledge of the elements that make up art as well as many techniques from just watching her as she worked and it wasn’t soon after that I started following suit.
As an artist, we know you create. But what style of work do you like to collect? Do you have a favorite piece that you must glance at on a daily basis?
There is no one piece that I must glance at on a said “daily basis” but I do enjoy reading about and seeing new interesting works from publications like Hi-Fructose, ISC: Sculpture Magazine, Juxtapoz and others. (As for what styles I like to collect) I enjoy Japanese prints particularly from the Edo period (i.e. Hiroshige, Yoshitoshi, Kuniyoshi, etc.)
What kind of work will you be exhibiting for sale at Moss Rock Festival and how was it inspired by nature?
I am showcasing a series titled The Nature of Industry. Below is an excerpt from my writings about the work.
What comes from the ground will return once more. Objects fade, the stain of time on the tattered form, they transform from functional objects to useless waste. Discarded remnants intentionally hidden from sight, they find their resting place, amongst a tolerant culture. Eternal nature’s unconditional embrace offers refuge to the unwanted so that it may reinvent itself a new. What comes from the ground will return once more.
Nature is intertwined with the pieces from the moss that grows on the works to the earthy texture that encompasses the pieces. The strong imagery of industry, these actual remnants of Birmingham’s past, entrenched in rock as if they are being swallowed with time and returning to the earth all the while actual thriving plant life embraces these remnants in a struggle to keep them in the present is truly astonishing. I want people to think about the big picture and how everything comes from something and that too many man made objects find a resting place that is undesirable which can have negative consequences on the environment. A single person’s action, no matter how small, shapes the environment… for good or bad is up to each person.
How can people find out more about you? (your website or galleries that carry your artwork, etc.)
They can visit my website www.NaturalSelectionArt.com
or contact me via email [email protected]
To find more about Michael and see more of his work, click here.
