Artist Statement                                                                                               Jack Pospisil 

 

     It is the intention of my work to explore notions of the divine through secular avenues. 

By integrating familiar symbolism with unorthodox materials, I generate a vehicle for my autobiography.  Constructing these relationships produces an opportunity to question the origins of the symbol, as well as my individual affiliation with it.  The true reward occurs when my personal philosophy reveals itself during the musing, and dictates the further development of the work.  Images secular and divine, universal and personal, appear and intermingle as the work's theme is investigated. 

 

For the seer who is ever immersed in silence, even while speaking, syllables never cease being silence, and silence is ever full with syllables of inspired speech.  The great lovers of God, though they say the experience is inexpressible in words, are some of the world's best poets.   -  James N. Powell

 

     The  creative act itself is an assertion of power.  Bringing the reflections of a personal narrative into physical form is an exclamation of position, a claim to existence.  The coupling of repetitive imagery and symmetrical composition has become the principal method of rendering my narrative concrete.  Repetitive application, fetishistic in nature, operates like sediment as it compounds.   Behaving like a phenomenon of nature, it builds on its foundation, becoming the surface and form of the object.  By imbuing a harmonious order on this progression, an atmosphere of magical control can be achieved. 

 

     Image, process, and chosen material all play significant roles in the metaphoric formulation of a work.  The evolving vocabulary consists of characters, anamorphic and inanimate, in a personified state.  This personification allows the image to be acknowledged and enables the viewer to reach an identification with it.  When identification is confirmed, the work can now function as a catalyst for the audience, welcoming the integration of their individual concerns.  At this point of recognition, when transitory subjects are being considered, the unavoidable and disquieting subject of decay emerges. 

 

It is the secret of the world that all things subsist, and do not die, but only retire a little from sight, and afterwards return again.   - Ralph Waldo Emerson  

 

     When decay is considered a part of the maturation process, as a factor in a circular existence, an alleviation from anxiety can take place.   This attempt to reconcile with the natural processes allows individuals to formulate notions of the divine as they examine their personal concerns.  The objects that I create are the physical result of this dialogue.