Bricolage Unbridled At Aurelia Gallery - Through May 28th

Kevin Watson was raised in the Missouri Ozarks on a family farm with the aptly named closest town being Rocky Comfort. One of his first creative experiences was the construction of a wooden sword through the use of a grinding wheel in his father's welding shop, not the right tool but it worked. He now has great appreciation for the right tools.

Classes and workshops in welding, cabinet making, tin work, painting, photography, college-level industrial arts classes and countless hours in hardware stores have given him the skill set to create pieces that are often simple in appearance but are anything but. He works with a number of materials to create sometimes offbeat works with an individualizing sensibility and enigmatic style.

His favorite artists include Constantin Brancusi, Joan Miró, Henry Moore, Noguchi, Pablo Picasso, Mark Rothko and H.C. Westermann. He credits decades spent in the advertising and publishing industries to helping him to learn to see. Having also worked in the language industry for 20 years, Watson strives to create three-dimensional works that communicate ideas, concepts and emotions that need no translation.

A resident of Santa Fe for the past three years, Watson has participated in many art shows in Northern Idaho and Eastern Washington.

I haven’t found a word that describes my art and process more accurately than bricolage.

Bricolage is derived from the French verb bricoler ("to tinker") that refers to the remixture, reconstruction, and reuse of objects to produce new meaning, insight and perhaps, a new cultural identity. A bricoleur is a person who engages in bricolage.

Informed by a youth spent in farm shops, decades in advertising and publishing, forays into countless galleries and museums both in the US and abroad, I’ve collected memories and experiences that I use to construct ideas/concepts into three-dimensional forms that would challenge conventional language. For me, the process is like writing poetry, “Do I use a rusty screw or a brass one? “Do I use a period or a line break?”

A piece is complete when nothing can be added or removed without changing the intended meaning. I like for my works to have layers and to reward you if you are willing to spend some time getting to know them and to engage in a dialogue. Hopefully, the conversation takes you to an unexpected destination that you didn’t realize you want to go.

- Kevin Watson, Bricoleur Currently on Exhibit at Aurelia Gallery on Canyon Road in Santa Fe, New Mexico: Bricolage Unbridled - through May 28th, 2023

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