Ken Bambury.

17/08/2018.

ART PRACTICE.

My art practice utilises art recognisable art materials, as well as utilising resources found in nature, in the making of art, to experience, and focus attention towards local nature, and environmental issues. This can take any artistic form, which achieves the goal of: working with communities facilitating, encouraging the sharing and engagement with the natural environment through art-based projects which can have a therapeutic effect on our mental and physical health as a result.

 In the showing of this work, my aim is to be flexible; responding to its function, and audience. Work could be presented as an “information hub” explaining the concepts of my practice or showing work in situ, at an event or in a gallery as 2D or 3D works and images of 3D site specific work.

 In my art practice, I try to remain reactive to situations places and people as possible; enabling my practice to constantly develop by responding artistically to nature and the community’s needs and balancing them with the interests of my practice.

The challenges for me are: working within the confines of non-practical bureaucratic imposed, conditions  adopting the role as facilitator, on community-engagement projects and showing in the traditional gallery set-up. These has been unexpected but enjoyable challenges and have found they can be a source of inspiration and future work through sharing ideas and suggestions.

Ken Bambury

Artist statement

I have worked outdoors as a gardener for over thirty years, and I have observed nature in all its seasons and weathers. With this life experience I have built up a considerable working knowledge of plants and animals and countryside matters and have an affinity with a variety of natural materials. I have a very practical hands on intuitive approach to my work and my approach to art is a concoction of all the above plus folklore, traditional craft skills and some survival skills taught during my time in the parachute regiment.

The process of creating my work is to spend time immersed in an environment and to react intuitively to very acute observations of the flora and fauna of a site i.e. any pollution issues, any perceived imbalance in the ecology of the area, by sketching and taking photos I begin to describe a series of ideas in a sketch book. Then by a process of elimination based on practicalities and any other restraints such as time and money, I decide as to which areas interest me the most and are feasible, after undertaken some research, usually historical and on how other artists may have approached the subject. I can then make an informed decisions, and begin the process of realising my observations in fully worked up pieces using are range of media which I think would best suit the work which may take any form.

Hoping they will portray my  viewers  ideas on environmental impact and the effect of human activities on our wild places