Artist Statement for Pat Wickline

I am a Bellingham artist specializing in “open” sculptures. I create these in a variety of mediums, including wire, mixed media, and sheet metal. Some of his work is applied to shadow projection and video installations. I am an expert in metal patination and the copper forming technique of repoussé. My most well known work is The Seattle Squid, a 27 ft. giant squid sculpture installation at Pike Place Market.

Conceptually I see my work in two ways.  In the first I am trying to evoke feelings via shapes and lines.  I want the viewer to perceive movement and flow in static shapes.  The second goal is to create open sculptures that project varying images depending on a light source.  Thus, the sculpture is a generator of images. 

For each series of sculptures I create a set of rules for the gravity, motion, and flow for the shapes and lines of each piece. For example, in the Bonsai series there are three rules. The first is that gravity is turned 90 degrees, so that the shapes appear to float away from the wall on a horizontal plane. The second is that when viewed straight on, the shapes should convey a feeling of rocks in a river, where the negative space is water exerting force on the shapes to result in a particular arrangement. The third rule is that each shape is a single- celled organism moving within a three-dimensional space, similar to how micro- organisms in a drop of water look under a microscope. When making each piece I consciously imagined it from these three perspectives independently. 

Concerning texture, color, and construction of the Bonsai series, the entire outer surface is a thick coating of iron patinated with acids. There are no pigments – the coloration is entirely the result of oxidizing iron. This is a delicate process that is difficult to fully control, thus each piece is a unique “controlled accident.” The overall effect I’m going for is something that was pulled from the depths of the sea and is growing.