Gary Colclough

Figure 1. New Seeker, 2017

Oil paint, birch plywood panel, teak, 160.5 x 120 x 120cm

Gary Colclough’s artist works begin at the crossings of drawing and sculpture, Colclough creates support systems for his pencil drawings that often mirror viewing apparatus from the Victorian era. His immersive compositions draw together aspects of geometry with detailed patterning echoing from the natural world. This artist privileges a choreography of fragments: the below-surface detail, a georgic imaginary, material symmetry, and those quiet yet apocalyptic scenes that expose humanity’s complex relations to ecology.

I was particularly fond of Colclough’s work when I saw it in London, there was something satisfying about his work. This relationship between drawing and sculpture is something I have been exploring in my own artist practice, so researching further into Colclough helped tremendously. I found two pieces of artwork interesting, New Seeker, 2017 (figure 1) and Them Bones, 2011 (figure 2). I liked both pieces as they obscure the boundaries between drawing and sculpture, personally I think they are more leaning towards sculpture than drawing. I chose these two in particular as I like that New Seeker is a free-standing object, I found it really unique and different. I also liked the way Them Bones was presented too, it was mounted on a wall, but has a three dimensional aspect to it, which makes it stand out.

Figure 2. Them Bones, 2011

Coloured pencil, paper, panel, mirror, hardwood, 44 x 18 x 16cm