Tom Eckert

Aberrant Ascension

2002, wood

Curator’s statement
Tom Eckert's work is surprising, witty, and comments on the boundaries between the real and the false, at the same time demonstrating a masterful knowledge of techniques. He builds on the art historical tradition of virtuoso artists playing games with our sense of vision by creating fictitious representations that "fool the eye" (trompe l'oeil).

Artist's Statement
"Since childhood I have been interested, amused and concerned by false impressions of reality presented as part of our living experiences. Visual deception is at the root of my creative direction. "Cloth" carved of wood has much different structural qualities than real cloth. When the idea is applied to my compositions (floating bowl, floating book, floating cards) a sense of the impossible happens--for me, magic." - Artist's statement, December 23, 2005, MAD archival file.

Materials & Techniques
"To construct the piece, I set up a model using ceramic bowls from the kitchen and a piece of silk. This model was photographed and a life-size print was made. From this print I made patterns for the "cloth" section and glued up pieces of wood to fit the pattern. This very blocky rendition of the model was then carved. The bowls and dishes were lathe turned. Next came spray painting, brush painting and, finally, assembly." -December 23, 2005, Curatorial files