Stephen Whisler
Saugerties, NY
Website
stephenwhisler.net
Social Media
Instagram
How would you describe your work?
My work always starts with an idea, or something that I am wrestling with in my mind. For instance, early on in my career in the 1970s, thinking about the symbiotic relationship between humans and plants lead me to make a photo series called The Plant Works, where I did private, symbolic performances with plants that I photographed. These photo-series usually had three images which were printed in both small and large scale.
Later in my career I investigated nuclear weapons and their utter destruction, producing a series of large pastel drawings, sculptures, performances and installations all incorporating images of atomic bombs and other weapons. The main installation in my exhibition titled The Tyranny of Objects at Sonoma State University was The Fat Man at 11:02 AM, a full scale sculpture of the Fat Man bomb that destroyed Nagasaki. The sculpture was held in suspension by over 100 wires attached to all parts of the giant gallery space and represented the moment that the bomb was exploded.
My work is never abstract, even if it might appear to be. Even my furniture designs had a conceptual bent, incorporating inlays of an entire century from 1901 to 2000 on the 20th Century Table or hash marks as a prisoner might make awaiting trail in Counting Time Table.
What inspires you?
I am inspired by oddities and conundrums, weird looking body parts, plants and animals, scientific exploration, death, destruction and rebirth, and the never ending quest by humans to understand the universe.
Can you speak about your process?
My process is always changing depending upon the project I am working on. Even as a child I liked to build things; if I was given the choice of writing an essay or building a project I always chose building something. Once I have a piece in mind I am methodical in how I go about making it. I learn what techniques are appropriate and then apply them to the project at hand. My art output includes paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs, films, performances, installations, Guerrilla Art installations, furniture and design. A curator could organize an amazingly cohesive group show just with my eclectic output.
My current work investigating human body parts actually sprang from ideas and drawings I did in the 1980s. For Uvula Arch, 2023, I started with the original 76”x 60”drawing from 1986 and made further small sketches to update the form. I then made a maquette in plaster that I photographed and blew-up to the 7 foot x 8 foot size of the sculpture. Using this full scale photo I made a wooden armature to that scale which I then covered with wire lath screwed to the wooden frame. The wire lath was then coated with papier-mâché made from a product called Celluclay. After several coats of the papier-mâché the sculpture was painted. I have also done further large drawings of the sculpture.
Do you have any favorite artists, movies, books, or quotes?
Marcel Duchamp was an early influence. “The artist performs only one part of the creative process. The onlooker completes it, and it is the onlooker who has the last word”. Joseph Beuys, his use of materials and his personal mythology was also an important inspiration. I was blown away by his How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare performance and his sculptures. I admire a lot of work by other artists too numerous to mention! I also love design, architecture and gardens.
What advice do you have for younger artists?
Don’t expect to make money from your art. Find another way to make money so that your work can be free. I did construction, working as a carpenter and then as a contractor for years. The good thing about that is you can make some money and then take time off. The bad thing about that kind of work is you are too tired at the end of the day to work in the studio! I am sure I have spent more money on my work than I have ever made from it.
Any more thoughts about art, creativity, or anything else you would like to share?
Although I never broke-through in the art world I am obsessed with making my work and will continue as long as I can still function. I like to see my ideas manifest in an object of my own making.
