Richard Janes

Artist statement

Concepts

The sculptures I create are informed and inspired by the environment and my experience of living and working in it. The decision to make much of my work in an outdoor environment was deliberate and conceptually vital to creative process. This concept is aesthetically reworked in the smaller works that I have started to make. This new work has meant a change in scale and a development of my personal artistic practice which I felt impelled to explore. Both areas of my work inform the other which brings energy to the creative process. 

The design and the making process are important to me as an artist and the physicality of actually making the work can heavily influence design. My inspiration and the themes that repeat in my designs tend to come from natural forms or the juxtaposition of the geometric with organic forms. The made object as art is the end product of my personal creative process. Whether they function is important only in the intention of designing functionality into the aesthetic. 

The public sculptures I make are always designed with the site in mind, forms and themes from the studio work may be reflected in the design, but the form and shape; materials and finish are all worked on as part of that specific project. This will result in an artwork that is entirely unique. I try not to come to a commission with any preconceived designs but concentrate on developing the unique ideas that come from visiting the site and meeting and working with the people involved in the project. This produces artwork that is truly site specific, reflecting the place it is designed for.  

It has been an important part of my work to develop a detailed knowledge of different materials and their uses and practical applications. I have some works fabricated, but I prefer to have a direct hand in physically making all my work, working with the fabricators to create the work. My experience lies in the working of materials and the rendering of unique sculptural solutions where the making process becomes part of the artwork. With the right choice of materials the design of the artwork will take the issues surrounding longevity and vandalism and make them part of the aesthetic. 

I have been working as a professional artist and sculptor for 17 years. My experience has been mainly of creating sculptures in the public realm. I have worked on projects working closely with the community as an artist designing and making sculptures with a wide range of groups, ages and abilities. The work has been created through commission, as artist in residence working independently and with architects and landscape architects and through work with the community and in schools.

Richard Janes             2012

Influences
Classical architecture, totemic imagery, nature, history.

Career path
1993 BA (Hons), Fine Art, Sunderland University College of Art
1994-present Sculptor working on a wide range of public art projects
1995-present   artist working with school and community groups to produce works on a variation of themes.
2001/03 Lecturer in Art and Design, part time, Nottingham Trent University
2001/04 Lead Artist, Project Manager Environmental Arts Programme for arts and regeneration organisation working in Derbyshire.