Pushing the Boundaries
Forming connection with a viewer is a strong impulse for most artists but Paige Bradley makes it her life’s purpose. Her figurative sculpture pieces are full of movement, expression and emotion, much like the yogis and dancers that pose for her. The work is an interpretation of the soul and the spirit, giving that deeper connection Bradley strives to communicate.
“I’ve been frequently asked to sculpt dancers, but it’s not about the dance per se. Ballerinas for example, are so strict with themselves. The way I see it, they are able-bodied and work hard to show an emotion on their skin. They portray a feeling as an expression through space and time,” explains Bradley.
This expression through the figure has translated to Bradley’s work and into her upcoming show with Cutter & Cutter Fine Art Gallery. While some of her new sculptures embody the same style and technique she’s used in the past, such as fragmenting the sculptures and piecing them back together, viewers can expect some new elements.
Bradley strives to be a “breath of fresh air” as she introduces colored work for the first time, rather than the brown patinas she’s more known. For her new figure piece Soar Blue, she explains, “The bright blue gives an exciting feel of what is possible. The form herself is almost impossible. It tells us that it’s time to push all the boundaries we have and look for alternative ways to see the world.”
Viewers are in for a treat with Bradley conducting a “quick sculpt” demo on the opening day, April 23. Bradley will be sculpting in clay, using a model for reference. She explains, “I time myself for three hours and my hands are off as soon as my alarm chimes. It then goes straight to the foundry, just as it is.”
Even her artistic process exercises a deep connection by using live models. “It’s magical and time is fleeting,” she furthers. “I’m never going to be in that same time and place with that model again.”
While connection is always at the core of Bradley’s work, the new pieces dictate
another prominent theme. The viewer will find a new direction, something bold and current, as can be seen in the blue pieces. She says, “It’s pop contemporary and I love it cause my work is accurate and academic and representational, but at the same time I want it to be seen as who we are today and what it’s like to be human in 2020.”