I identify myself as an architect and sculptor, and I hold master degrees in both disciplines. My influences run from Michelangelo, Frank Lloyd Wright, Tony Smith and Frank Gehry to Sol Lewit, Maya Lin, Eva Hess, Antony Gormley, Kiki Smith and Petah Coyne. There are other, both conscious and subconscious to whom I owe my inspirations.
Although I still involve myself in architectural projects from time to time and occasionally I use methods and materials of traditional sculpture, my primary work is in contemporary installation using materials unconventional to sculpture but common to architectural construction. I believe in venturing in new directions and have a favorite quote from Frank Gehry which succinctly expresses the importance of that progression: |
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As people, we should put our best efforts forward and put positive things on the table for the rest of the world. The idea of copying the past has always been an anathema to me. How can you face your children if you tell them, "I don't have any new ideas." So, I've always strived to live within the time, find something new. There is a general tendency in the world to look for new ideas. And art is part of that search.
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I hear people say that they don't understand contemporary art. To me, those words explain it well. All that is necessary to know is that it is trying on new ideas, moving forward, learning from the past and bringing it along but refusing to remain stuck there.
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--Julia Ousley |
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