A New Line of Markers Draws on Gary Webb's Imagination
London-based artist Gary Webb is known for his unorthodox sculpture, which breathes life into whimsical geometric shapes and organic forms. But before his pieces become imaginative three-dimensional objects, Webb frequently experiments by drawing on paper. [http://engine.nectarads.com/p/eyJhdiI6OTYx
London-based artist Gary Webb is known for his unorthodox sculpture, which breathes life into whimsical geometric shapes and organic forms. Educated at Goldsmiths College, he is a visual wizard who easily conjures up playful arrangements of line and volume, complemented by reflective or seductive surfaces.
But before his pieces become imaginative three-dimensional objects, Webb frequently experiments by drawing on paper. “I do a lot of drawings to feed the ideas that lead to sculptures,” he says. “Drawing can jump you into 3D works, and the forms and shapes can be translated into sculpture … which is the final point for me.”
While all of Webb’s drawings don’t end up as sculptures, drawing provides the artist with the freedom to continually explore shapes, colors, and ideas — which in turn, inspires his use of new and varied materials within each physical construction.
Because of Webb’s odd material, form, and color juxtapositions, his sculptures may seem absurd; however, upon closer inspection their internal relationships reveal his careful, thoughtful compositions. Through this use of materials, Webb hopes “to open the physical soul of the object.”
His pieces likewise tap into the openness of the world. “You live in the middle of the city and you can make these abstract things that are separated from the city,” he says, “but you are in the struggle to seduce and play with the viewer. You try to do the best you can, and drawing can often help convince me that this is the object to make.”
While some of his best drawings lead to sculpture, Webb notes that his sketches also have a life to themselves. “Sculptures are bought and sold,” he says, “but I always have the drawings left, and I like holding onto them.” They possess, after all, an inherent materiality — subtler than, but similar to, sculpture. “They really do look like the sculptures themselves,” Webb says, “so they become their own little things.”
But Webb — who has shown his sculpture all around the world — has never exhibited his works on paper. For this post, however, Hyperallergic has partnered with Winsor & Newton to bring you a series of illustrations by the artist, created with the new Winsor & Newton Pigment Markers. Based on pigments instead of dyes, the non-fade markers promise to remain vivid under normal gallery conditions for a hundred years. The artist found the markers very useful, aiding him in his quest to explore the qualities of diverse materials.
“When these pens came along, I found new ways to use them, like blending,” Webb says. “And the mixing element is quite nice — you can watercolor with them too.”
Webb’s work is being exhibited in New York at the Society of Illustrators, in London at the ICA on Nov 19th, and in Paris next February as part of the Winsor & Newton launch campaign, Colour Your City, which showcases artwork from artists and illustrators all over the world using the first ever Pigment Marker.
Perfect for illustrators, designers, and fine artists, Winsor & Newton Pigment Markers deliver beautiful pigmented colors that are guaranteed to be lightfast for 100 years. For more information visit winsornewton.com or follow @pigmentmarker.
This post is sponsored by Winsor & Newton Pigment Markers.
