Caroline Burton
Artist’s Statement
I have long been fascinated with the vast landscape hidden in the ground beneath our feet. I am drawn to the places where these hidden secrets are revealed to us at the surface, imagining the mechanisms and events that formed them. Since the beginning of time, we have been motivated to find and utilise the resources and treasures hidden within. This body of work is an exploration of our connection to place and how that connection influences the way that we inhabit the land. It is my belief that the world was created and resourced for us to enjoy and we were given charge as Caretakers. I’m interested in how we fulfill that role. There is a tension between mankind's innate creativity - which drives us to make ever increasing demands on resources - and our role as caretakers.
CARETAKERS seeks to explore this tension and pose the question; Where is the balance to be found?
Biography
Caroline Burton creates abstract contemporary artworks using the medium of felted wool and silk fibres, often with three-dimensional sculptural elements.
A relative newcomer to the world of art, Caroline originally gained her degree and worked as an engineer. Evidence of this previous training can be seen in some of her chosen subject matter: an obsession with geological forms and processes, for instance. Through diligent practice, Burton has found a passion for creating art that has totally enthralled her. The process of sculpting and painting with fibres fascinates her with every new artwork. There is an alchemy to the process of transforming wisps of fibre into something with form, structure and strength. As Caroline gains ever more control over her somewhat unorthodox medium, she is able to find freedom and a feeling of letting go. There is a sense of grasping the strands of her thoughts and the ideas that she wrestles with, to bind them together. Burton is then able to resolve and release these thoughts and ideas into her artwork. Caroline’s work can be found in private collections throughout New Zealand, where she has held several solo shows. Her works have also been selected for a range of juried and curated exhibitions.
Showing all 16 artworks
