Mind of a Caryatid (L'Esprit d'un Cariatide), 2008

During the summer of 2008, I set out to make a number of small scaled and light weight works, using various collected pieces of materials and discarded items, for an exhibition in Loughborough, UK, later that year.

However, the piece of old hessian and remnants of some ancient cane seating were to become the basis of something a little more intellectually demanding than originally intended. As the composition progressed, it seemed that a significant quality was emanating from out of the framed rectangle and suggesting a surrounding emptiness.

At the time, I had to hand a photographic image of a beautiful, dark haired young woman, the formal qualities of which seemed to resonate with qualities and the proportions of this wooden frame. This image was entered into my computer and then printed out onto canvas to act as a visual support and surround for the framework of the original idea.

The resulting composition then suggested the title, 'The Mind of a Caryatid'.

Termini Caryatids: being either a whole female figure, female busts, demi-figures or three-quarter figures, placed at the top of termini pilasters supporting an entablature or other similar classical architectural feature, in order to roof man's lofty ambitions.

Though often formed of stone or bronze to endure an eternity, this sculptured concept seems to beg the question, 'Just what does a Caryatid in female form think about'?