David Adkins

Artist Statement

Although my practice includes painting, sculpture, photography and video much of it refers to a collective relationship with particular painting and film traditions, as well as to certain elements of Romantic philosophy. The nature pieces are (usually small) replicas of ubiquitous natural forms such as weeds or fungi; their status is elevated through their materiality, each piece responding to specific moments within the history of painting. These are moments of little cultural significance, footnotes or punctuation taken from an individual's interest in painting. Incorporating found materials, the recreation of natural forms is undertaken with the attention to detail of an enthusiastic amateur, their artificiality becoming apparent through closer inspection. In 'Carpet (after Memling)' I digitally recreated a complete Persian carpet from a fragment found in Hans Memling's 'Madonna and Child' with John Donne and Donors (c1475). The technology of the printer imitates the weft of the loom to make a print whose texture is reminiscent of both the original painting and an actual rug, the actual pixels akin to the knots of the rug.