John Adkins's Gallery

Beautifully obsessive installations and constructions

I am inspired by organization. How elements of life are organized and re-organized. My grandfather's store was great visual stimulation for me as a child. I believe it guides my skills in seeing today. He was blind and couldn't place products in their proper visual place. His placement was based more on touch and memory. I can visualize those elements today and they influence how I come up with my works. I have a picture in my mind and I have an intense drive to complete the structure. The most interesting and appealing are those images that seem incomplete. These thoughts allow for the most growth and expansion. I also search out opportunities to create works with separation: inside vs. outside and exterior vs. interior. These provide situations to be complex, but do not force me to resolve how these different aspects and contexts can work together.

The materials I use vary, but tend to be placed in and on wood structures for stability and flexibility. They can be roughed up, aged, painted and manipulated. I often hammer elements in the surface, hollow out areas and build up the areas, requiring deep backing. Acrylic paint is used primarily because of its plastic, flat appearance. It also quick drying and immediate; providing additional flexibility if I want to go back in and use oil medium or collage. It is important that the viewer is intensely involved with the work. I work to create a more intimate space, where scale becomes very important to this end. My intentions are to draw the viewer in and hold their interest through a series of decorative elements, formal relationships and conceptual musings.

Because of the functional elements, moving and interactive parts, it forces me to carefully strategize about how components fit together. I often build and break-down pieces several times to get it functioning properly. The works must have longevity. When taken out of its current historical context it will change in meaning. So it is imperative that they have a long life. My hope is that will be better with age and possibly allude to the future. My vision is long and strategic. I often see trends years in advance and the works become a document of my process.

They are often referred to as eye candy, because of its heavy decorative qualities. There is always more to discover, relationships yet to be made, and thoughts to be revealed. My work has been loved by many kinds of people; individuals with different background and experiences. I believe what ties them together is an appreciation for the complex and a desire to be challenged intellectually, emotionally and spiritually.