Description:

Jonathan Clowes
American, (20th / 21st Century)
mobile
wood and glass hanging sculpture
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signed and numbered "3/6". With blue art glass paperweight ball hung within slender carved yoke form tendrils.

Jonathan Clowes is the nephew of Allen W. Clowes, Indianapolis.

Growing up in a family who loved sailing, Jonathan Clowes's early aesthetic influences grew from nature, the graceful curves of sea-faring vessels, sails and the ocean. As a young boy Jonathan was always making things. When he was six, a Japanese friend of his father's was visiting and taught him to make origami swans. "So I proceeded to fold a great big swan, about four feet across," Clowes remembered. "I've always been one to take things to a bit of an extreme. Well, what do you do with something like that? Obviously, you hang it up. So my brother Tom and I made a mobile out of it and we folded a whole flock of other little swans - 15 or 20 little ones, out of paper of all different colors - and suspended them by threads from the outspread wings of the big swan." The resulting mobile was his first, foretelling of what has become a life's work.

Jon's pursuit of sculpture making took him from the halls of M.I.T, Boston's Museum School and the Portland School of Art to the boat yards of New England, places, "where one really learns to appreciate craftmanship," like Concordia Boatyard in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts and Paul Luke Yachts in East Boothbay, Maine. His recent work has been the result of collaboration with his wife, Evelyn, who is his artistic, as well as his life, partner.

In a recent interview Jonathan reflected on his intent as an artist. "A fine piece of sculpture communicates the artist's love of spirit, form and material to the viewer. As the work evolves aesthetic concerns interact with the requirements of the materials to create a uniquely balanced whole. The success of a piece depends on the artist's skill and attention to both demands. Good work elicits an appreciative knowing or wondering from others. Practically, the work must reflect a consistent and visible level of intention and care in its crafting. Beyond that, I believe that each piece must engage the viewer's spirit, encouraging it to move beyond the bounds of daily existence. As an artist, I seek to attain such integrity."

  • Dimensions: 58"H x 11"W
  • Medium: wood and glass hanging sculpture

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February 10, 2024 11:00 AM EST
Indianapolis, IN, US

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