KEVIN WATSON

Bricoleur

Constructing artifacts

I havenʼt 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, Iʼve 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 didnʼt realize you want to go.

A LOVE AFFAIR
WITH MATERIALS

metal & leather
sticks & stones & bones

I grew up on a farm in the Missouri Ozarks and spent a great deal of time roaming around, climbing trees and looking for interesting rocks. Time spent in the farm shop, high school shop classes, college industrial arts classes and decades of working with artists, photographers and designers has influenced my work. My work with a publishing company has also enabled me to visit many galleries and museums around the world which has given me some new perspectives.

FEATURED WORK

I remix

HOMECOMING

Nature always wins

The inspiration for this piece came from visiting my father's family homestead in the hills near Powell, MO. Long abandoned, the house had trees growing through it and it seemed very small to have been the home of five farm boys.

Today, many people put their homes on pedestals not thinking about what can or will occur when nature takes its course.

The home in my piece is slowly sinking into the earth and embossed in reverse is the word "memory". Frequently, the memory of the home of our youth no longer represents the reality.

QUEENIE

Industrial beauty

Queenie had to be. A studiomate gave me a beautiful piece of wood, the desk lamps were returns that contained bad electrical switches, the head came from a bubble gum machine, the crown was the base of a coffee pot, the training wheels belonged to my daughter's first bike and Queenie is resting on a former printer stand. Her sarong is industrial copper and brass mesh screen.

SPRINGTIME IN THE BELLY

A creation story

This is the story of the cosmos. It contains the seas, a solar system and some subtle love notes.

RUFARO

A state of being

Rufaro finds its roots in the African-Bantu culture of Zimbabwe. This name, derived from the Shona language, carries the profound meaning of happiness/contentment.

This piece carries a hidden surprise – a small, self-contained battery box with red LEDs that can turned on and off so red rays will be emitted through the louvers.

SOUTHWEST MIDSUMMER DREAM

A classic set reinterpreted

Luis saw A Midsummer’s Night Dream when an aunt decided he needed some culture and took him on a trip to the City which included a trip to the opera. He was mesmerized for he had never seen anything like it and it stirred his imagination. Luis had spent many days in the forest near the river and it had always seemed alive to him in a supernatural way. Of course, he never dared tell anyone until he went riding one day with the daughter of the neighboring rancher, it was nearing dusk and they were just existing the forest along a bend in the river. The fateful dark-haired beauty he ultimately married told him she wished fairies existed and thought if they did, they would live along the Pecos.

Before he had a chance to think twice, he blurted out that he wished they did, too. Slightly embarrassed, he turned away only to have her turn his head back to kiss him. His fate sealed, they later married and he declared himself one lucky cowboy.

For an anniversary, he surprised her with a trip to Houston where he had purchased tickets for A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream hoping she would enjoy it as much as he had years ago. Surprisingly, she didn’t. She loved it even more and couldn’t stop talking about it.

Hell, when she got home, she even named the mule Bottom causing much embarrassment when he got loose and Luis had to go around calling for Bottom. For Christmas, he decided to recreate the set using materials at hand – a chair, leather, stone, antlers and a hundred-year old silver dollar for the silvery moon.