Still Life with Wolves is an installation attempting to reconcile the idea of the scenic within an untraditional still life composition.  What may seem initially as a bizarre arrangement of wood forms, commercial balloons and silver animal ornaments , I remove these things from any practical context  and test the plausibility of rendering “ The Scenic “ , considering experiences of an observer and participant in the installation.

The objects individually and as a collected gathering, address the landscape and ‘scenery’ through literal descriptions of scenic, meaning ‘ relating to natural scenery, relating to the stage or stage setting, and representing an action, event or episode.’

Through the fact the arranged objects have been pulled from their practical context, enhances their value to be considered for purely visual and interpretive purposes for the observer. Floating and deflating balloons become heavy clouds, grounded propellers turn into rolling hills , wire brushes transform into distance mountain ranges and silver ornaments become adornments upon a simulated landscape much like opulent jewels decorated lavish table spreads in Dutch still life paintings.

The experience of the participant questions the probability of the space they occupy and the situation presented before them.  Still Life with Wolves  has been described as arriving at a party which you might think you were the wrong recipient of an invitation - the goody bags scattered around , the room has been plundered and guests have abandoned the event. The oscillation between a staged setting and a situation is amplified as recognizable objects shift meaning and association in combined reference with one another .