The sculptures of Michael Craig Carrier are an amalgamation of scavenged debris, altered through juxtaposition and applied surface treatment and reshaped into new images. Repurposed green waste, electronic waste, auto parts and rusted tin cans become objects of art and contemplation. His particular choice of material reflects a nostalgia for the enduring waste familiar to wooded lots and alleyways.
During a visit to Carrier’s studio I was most compelled by the richly variegated, painted surfaces of his sculptures. They echo the look and feel of rusted metal, dried or decaying plants and plastics distorted by heat and fire. Layers of paint and glue, some with imbedded particles, coat the sculptural forms, embellishing and preserving them.
His work space is densely crowded with art on display and in-process projects.
Pine cones strung up like freshly caught fish in red plastic netting hang from above, irregular, island-shaped fragments of rusted metal hover just an inch or two out from the wall and a series of paint-splattered, splintered retreads resembling broken and dried palm leaves all competed for my attention.
Upon leaving Carrier’s studio, I have an increased desire to turn over and examine the textured surfaces of everything old in reach. I reflect on things made and abandoned. I am cognizant of a certain beauty resulting from the natural distress and weathered effects of time on all things.
EILEEN DOKTORSKI 2014
ARTIST & INDEPENDENT CURATOR
ART DEPARTMENT CHAIR
MT SAN JACINTO COLLEGE
MT SAN JACINTO, CA
"But as they are, the beaten and weathered surfaces possess an overall elegant patina, while also embracing strong associations with trash and consumer driven disposability. I could see these pieces becoming even larger, in the tradition of contemporary African installation artist El Anatsui. I also find it of note that the wall sculptures maintain this geometric regularity, and while haptically charged, they never fully succumb to the organic modulation on their two-dimensional support."
KRISTEN T WOODWARD
RESIDENT CURATOR ARTIST2ARTISTS
PROFESSOR OF ART ALBRIGHT COLLEGE
READING, PA