My work explores, in various methods, the tenuous relationships of our fragile balance of nature in our modern world. In our current urban sprawl, creatures are trapped between ever expanding vistas of concrete and glass. This is rapidly erasing the natural world, all while the primal world still lingers. 

 

Through my strong feelings about our estrangement from nature in our modern society, wild animals quickly became my voice of awareness and my cry.  As city walls form around us, there is a loss of connection to the natural world and ultimately, to ourselves as human beings. 

 

In my current body of work, both the primitive and the modern world are at battle. I have sculpted an entire wolf pack and coated them in a white plastic sheen. This is to represent wild souls caught in a white world. Perhaps it is an ultimate portrayal of the human spirit. 

 

I have recently been fascinated with placing my wolves and creatures in different settings and environments.  I have installed my sculptures in open spaces where nature still thrives and breathes. On the contrary, I have placed my creatures in overdeveloped urban dwellings. I am captivated by the moments and feelings created as my sculptures interact visually with the different environments. I consider my photographs an ongoing dialogue between the primal and modern world.  

 

Whether I am drawing, painting, sculpting, or capturing footage, I consider each creation to be an opportunity to reawaken the human soul.

 

 

 

 -Rachel Gardner