Inner Nature – tricks, trinkets or mojo

I was talking to Louis St. Louis at my Carrboro Art Center show about my work. He likened the texture and emotion to something akin to voodoo totems and he suggested I start playing on the concept of the reliquary . I argued a bit about this as I am spiritual and believe in energy both light and dark. I consider playing with forces and powers a naive mistake. I also believe that my work is already fairly potent and doesn’t need an extra battery. This morning I was thinking a bit more on this. I think that if you just put an object into the sculpture and try to force the concept of the reliquary , you actually will not imbue the work with anything special. It’s the inner nature of the artist and the intention and heart and soul of the desire for the work that is the true “magic”– just sticking objects into the sculpture does nothing. If you do something to the object with the force of desire and the will to some end, this then becomes a potent object in the form of a totem. If you believe that sticking the bone of your dead ancestor into the clay and then ritualize the crafting of the object to some desired goal of calling in an energy either light or dark, that object will become endowed. I already endow my work with desire and intention, there is no need for tricks and trinkets, the mojo is there because I loved the work as I was making it, and it became alive to me. The thoughtfulness and emotion I surround my work with as I walk the path towards it’s intended and defined idea is the mojo and needs no further trickery.