Justin Gilday
I set out to create an investigation of the subject matter and to explore a depth of interest, as much as to create a piece of art. For me, the opportunities to see the insects close up and the exploration of the piece is just as important as the subject and the emotion of the work.
Simply put my work is the culmination of my life experience; I learnt the basic techniques I now use whilst training as a dental technician, in combination with a career in pest control that has given me an insight into the world of insects and creatures. That isn’t to say the curiosity wasn’t there during my training; my chief technician felt that the only way to learn was to experiment and so I cast my first cockroach at the age of 17.
Now I draw inspiration from the raw beauty of nature, which coupled with a passion for wood in its natural sculptural form I attempt to display a creature’s beauty. Even the malign wasp and hornet are intricate and wonderful to observe without the potential of being stung. But it is the simplicity of the materials, that allows me to develop the humour and emotional statements that more often than not are allegorical to life.
I use an ancient technique to create the works of silver called ‘lost wax’. It involves taking organic matter and investing it in a plaster silica compound and then exposing it to a high heat to burn out the matter leaving a void into which molten silver is poured. The wood in contrast is naturally formed and the raw nature of it is not touched but instead arranged. All of the wood on to which the silver is set is a small portion of a much wider collection and passion for collecting.
And so my work and its creation brings aspects of nature that I love together to create an expression of my humour and also my concerns for the world.
For latest exhibition and events please see news.
