ANDREW KAY - SCULPTOR

To walk along a path and observe how things grow, to pick up objects and appreciate their purpose, to locate himself at a precise moment, the cognition of being; these are the experiences that inform the sculptural art of Andrew Kay. Here is an artist who is aware of the essential connections between all things in the environment, both natural and man-made, and addresses these relationships in his art.

At the age of 13, Kay won a scholarship to Bolton Junior Art School where he studied for two years under the tutelage of Adrian Sorrell. He went on to study Advertising Design at the Bolton College of Art and Design then worked as a Graphic Designer before returning to art school in his late 20's. This time Kay attended Preston Polytechnic and achieved a First Class Honours Degree in Fine Art then continued on to Manchester Polytechnic to earn his Master of Arts Degree. Coming back to art classes as a mature student allowed Kay to put more of himself into his approach to learning. He identifies two teachers who made an impression on him as a student;Sorrell for his use of basic uncluttered forms in his work and Tony Cragg at College because of his ability to bring together unusual items, such as books and stones, into a atisfying sculptural entity. Kay mentions no specific artist as having influenced his work, preferring to follow his own path, however one can see the effects Sorrell and Cragg had on his development in the way Kay too is able to simplify natural forms and incorporate disparate objects and shapes into a unified work of art.

After completing art school, the abstract approach to art championed by his instructors moved out of Kay's work to be replaced by figurative subjects inspired by Renaissance expressions. When interest in the torso paled it was replaced by the intriguing shapes found in animals and sea creatures. He travelled to Europe, India and the Far East and became aware of the basic essence of forms, their intrinsic similarities and how people will react, almost Universally , to certain shapes. Then scuba diving revealed the continuous movement and organic beauty to be 
found in the undersea world.

Kay arrived in Australia in 1979 and began working full time as an artist in the early '80's in his own studio/foundry in Adelaide, S.A. In 1985 he moved to Perth, W.A. where he casts his bronze sculptures in his own studio in the leafy hills locate of Roleystone. Today he produces works that range in size from hand-held to 5 metres high that can be found In corporate collections, private homes and public spaces. He continues to enjoy travelling, visiting galleries in other cities and observing different cultures.

Over the years Kay has discovered how many very different philosophies have myths that recount similar themes concerning the metamorphosis of natural forms from one entity into another, while his observation of nature confirmed a repetition of certain structures in the micro and the 
macrocosms. This reinforced his belief in a connection between all living things and encouraged him to turn to nature for inspiration. He sees the spiral pattern of a tiny sea shell echoing the orbit of planets, the unfolding of a leaf resembling the breaking of an ocean wave and how this connectivity is addressed by humanity in the imitation of these shapes and designs in our artefacts.

Kay is an object maker who believes making art is a human activity, one that can express the joy and wonder of life's experiences. He starts with a shape inspired by and derived from nature then manipulates it, always remaining within the parameters of reality, to put something of himself into the object that communicates his philosophy of the connectiveness of things. To Kay the beauty of a bird in effortless flight is equal to the beauty found in the precision of the instrument used to 
measure its speed and he appreciates the human intellect that explored the concept to connect the two. This is reflected in his art. He will include both bird and object, a form from nature and a product of human creativity, with equal alacrity in the one composition. The instrument is 
rendered with meticulous attention to accuracy while the natural form is divested of cumbersome detail in order to capture its essential attributes with veracity.

Kay puts a great deal of creative thought, solid technical skill and sheer hard work into his art form. He plans each project as a cohesive unit, preliminary sketches are made before starting the work to assure the finished sculpture will present a logical relationship of all its parts and will be comprehensible to the spectator. After perfecting the model, a mould is made, it is cast, assembled and' finished'. His preferred medium is bronze and his proven method is the 'lost wax' technique. The finishing involves either burnishing or adding a coloured patina by 
applying different chemicals to heated sections of the bronze. This causes a reaction with the  copper in the bronze to produce various colours. The whole procedure is long and arduous, which is why Kay prefers to produce limited editions rather than unique state sculptures.
Kay often employs a derivative of the spiral form in his work which may be obvious in a floral tendril, more discrete in the curve of a dolphin's form or hidden in the underlying structure of a composition. His works possess a balanced rhythm devised from the repetition of related 
shapes, ideal scale relationships and each incorporates a subtle asymmetry to ignite the spectators interest and encourage their interpretation of the subject to progress into another realm. Besides depicting forms and elements in nature, many of Kay's works reference 
journeys, which may be in the physical or metaphysical sense, according to the viewers response. There is always an economy of line and refinement of volume in his natural shapes but sufficient annotations are made to distinguish which living thing, or which natural element, is being defined. This allows the eye to easily travel around the form and invites the hand to investigate the surface. He is able to impart the power of the eagle, the agility of a swimming fish, the delicacy of a leaf, or the measurements of the universe without information overload thereby offering total satisfaction to the viewer. The artist respects his subject, be it fish, fowl or fauna, acknowledges its relationship to other aspects of life and presents its essential qualities in a manner that infuses his sculpture with concinnity of form, and his body of work with continuity of style.

Sometimes the combination of certain components in Kay's sculptural works may seem unusual when taken out of context. For example; why is a bird using a segment of a sextant as a perch, and is Desert Dancing the fibres of a dried Watsonia bulb, a circle of long necked birds, or the 
ribs of a woven basket? After investigation of the object as a whole, these questions are resolved with a variety of interpretations. One set of answers may include; the bird navigates a course instinctively while the human traveller needs a chart to find his way, while the bronze pattern of the 'dance' indicates the intricate weave of plant fibres, which in turn relates to the construction of a bird's feather and can be noted in hand woven items.

Combining nature and man-made artefacts in one composition demonstrates the transition of the metaphysical to the physical, the idea to the object and the inter-connectiveness of these realms. Kay's sculptures give a lasting presence to fleeting perceptions, like when one species is momentarily aware of the life or consciousness in another. His work is a conduit for communication, another avenue of connection, between himself and the spectator or between different viewers of his work.

Kay feels the dialogue of academics and the rhetoric that often accompanies fine art these days is non-productive and mostly ignored by the many people who just want to understand the idea being proffered by the artwork. He believes every work of art should be able to speak for itself and should be given to its audience to be interpreted by each individual viewer. Kay prefers to make images rather than propaganda, however, there is one statement that can be read in 
every one of his sculptures. All aspects of nature are equal, we are all voyagers on the same  journey and dependent on one another.

Text by : Judith McGrath. (Jan, 1999)

If you have any enquiries please contact me at the following address:
Studio: 43 Valley View Road, Roleystone, Perth, Western Australia. 

Phone/fax (08) 9397 5661, E-mail address ksculpt@net1.nw.com.au