Sculpture
Will’s works are mainly figurative. However, his non-representational works tend to emphasise. smooth, minimalist and organic shapes.
He has been strongly influenced by the economy of Eastern arts, and his underlying inspiration is to stimulate the imagination. Hence, much of his work that is clearly figurative, leave unrevealed elements. He deliberately avoids suggesting any literary or allegorical association in his work as this imposes a viewpoint on the observer. Similarly, he avoids faces as these provide a character in the mind of the observer.
Much of his work is in alabaster, since this stone, with its sensuous translucency, allows the light within it to enhance the character of the sculptures bringing an essential, additional dimension to the sculpted image. In addition, alabaster is inherently tactile, adding yet a further dimension to his works.
About The Artist
Will is an intuitive sculptor with no formal training in art or sculpture. He took up stone carving in 2003.
He has always been aware of the beauty of nature and organic form, but in the modern world we are surrounded by so many man-made structures, with their straight lines and right angles, and we have become acclimatised to this lack of organic form. Yet we appreciate the beauty of living things, in their shapes and movements, and have a deep-seated, sub-conscious need for this form of aesthetic nourishment.
A doctor for most of his working life, he has always been aware of the form and coherence of nature, including the human figure.
He is influenced by what the Japanese term yugen. This describes a “mysterious vagueness, a subtle order of beauty”. It is central to the appreciation of beauty and art in Japan. It values the power to evoke, rather than the ability to state directly. The principle of yugen is that real beauty exists when, through its suggestiveness, only a few words, or a few brush strokes, can suggest what has not been said or shown, and hence awaken inner thoughts and feelings.
