James Curley

Artist statement

My early career has been between engineering and wood work, from working in metal fabrication for a marine engineer company to designing and crafting my own bespoke wooden furniture.

In particular, furniture making has its own artistic temperament and I can apply a certain degree of creativity to each piece. However, it can be constrictive when wishing to develop that creativity further. I have always had a keen creative mind and as a child I was constantly creating, designing and inventing. Over the past year I have had the opportunity to experiment further with my artwork, being able to put more energy and time into it.

Objects from the natural world begin as my main inspiration, but I also like to incorporate the man-made world of architecture, engineering and modern design. As my background is in engineering, furniture making and general construction, combining these together to create works of art has been a natural course to take.

To me, art is a visual experience and my sculptures play on this aspect with form, function and title. It is also a touchy-feely experience, with each sculpture robustly made and inviting the viewer to touch and interact with it!

The main challenge in creating my art work is the initial spark of an idea, but there are also challenges in making the piece, such as deciding on the best materials to use and the best way to construct it. Once the idea has formed in my mind, I often let the materials govern the final form of the piece. The end result is often a combination of the expected and the unexpected.