Philip Soosloff - Artist Statement
My artwork is a format for expressing what I see in the world. These are the little moments or impressions that seem to hold poetic significance and when added together, enable us to experience life with a deeper insight. Also important is the conceptual approach of bridging the line between painting and sculpture. These wall pieces have been described as linking the shaped canvases of Frank Stella with the mood and imagery of Edward Hopper. My influences also include sculptors Red Grooms and Edward Kienholz.; ceramists Robert Arneson, Jack Earl, and Viola Frey; Chicago imagist painter Roger Brown, Italian metaphysical painter Giorgio DeChirco and the impressionists.
Although the concept originated in clay, the metamorphosis to my current mixed media work over the past several years is the result of the need to work larger. Weight of the work and the size limitations of kilns became problematic. Through study and experimentation, I developed a system to construct my ideas. I feel that the larger scale of the work causes viewers to experience the piece in a more powerful manner as it encompasses their overall visual range thereby causing them to “step into my reality”. Smaller current pieces serve to express ideas in a more expediant manner and engage the viewer in an intimate way.
The formal compositional concerns are enormously important to me. Numerous sketches are made to determine a composition before a miniature clay model is made. The small pieces are made of Teracotta; the large are constructed primarily wood, foam and epoxy, which can be either tooled or worked by hand. The figures and other surrounding objects are sculpted out of the terracotta clay and are often made removable for shipping purposes. The surface of the work is layered with a variety of oil and acrylic paint. Metal, wood and other materials are used to describe things that clay cannot practically represent.
This visual dynamic, combined with my narrative expression, is intended to convey my thoughts, moods, and interpretaions of the world. This expression is what I consider to be most important in my work.