Gravity Glue - Michael Grab

Artist Michael Grab

I think there are many people in the world including myself that love rocks, young and old alike. Rocks are collected, honoured, used for healing purposes, and decorations for gardens etc.

 Many Indigenous people refer to rocks as the Grandfathers that are the oldest things on earth, and are deserving of respect and honour.

I've been a big fan of Artist Andy Goldsworthy but I've never saw anything quite like Canadian Artist Michael Grab.When I first saw this video Gravity Glue it gave me a very spiritual feeling. I think you will clearly see what I mean when you watch him creating these, truly awe inspiring and compelling sculptures.

 Michael Grab says about his work of balancing rocks.

 " Put simply, I feel something divine when I practice. "

Installation, Performance and Video

"Photography is not an art. Neither is painting, nor sculpture, literature or music. They are only different media for the individual to express his aesthetic feelings… You do not have to be a painter or a sculptor to be an artist. You may be a shoemaker. You may be creative as such. And, if so, you are a greater artist than the majority of the painters whose work is shown in the art galleries of today." - Alfred Stieglitz


I have had somewhat of a bias attitude toward installation, performance and video art. There are a few antecedents  to this bias. Being exposed to conceptual art in my early twenties, all through the 70s at NSCAD was a major influence, due to the fact that much of it I thought, was crap, and narcissistic indulgence. That's just my opinion and I am not saying it is correct or that any one need agree with it. I am far from an expert and am certainly not an art critic, nor do I aspire to be.

Much of the genre today is very tame compared to the 70s where anything and everything seemed to be the accepted discourse. 
In my opinion, when I consider noteworthy performance, installation and video artists, who's work I find compelling, the artists often share comparatively similar elements . They stand test of time, enable me to look at the world from a different perspective that challenges my thinking, and there is a continuity to them that contextualizes, transcends and possibly redefines  the past, present and future. I am reminded of artists such as Ai Wei Wei, Kevin Yates, Adam Goddard, Andy Goldsworthy, Krzystof Wodiczko, Joyce Wieland, to name a few. 

What I most appreciate about contemporary Installation, Performance  and Video art, like that of  Bill Viola, and Louise Bourgeois, is how it is utilized as a poignant and powerful tool, enabling socio- political commentary and change. Preconceived notions of what art is, are pushed beyond  confining boundaries, through the mindfulness of the present moment and process.

I am most interested in the spirituality of art work, and this is why Bill Viola appeals to me. Artists that invite and engage the personal into the public forum, can convict the conscience and nurture the soul. I am drawn to artists who lives become a large part of their art and art becomes an even larger part of life.

Compelling Sculpture

Andy Goldsworthy


I have posted pictures of sculptures by artists that inspire and create compelling art.

Heather Jansch, uses driftwood to construct her sculptures of horses.

Being a painter, my focus is often on painting

and painters as opposed to sculpture and sculptors. Thanks to my teachers and mentors I have learned how essential it is to involve yourself in other mediums and to appreciate many different artists, for not only a broader knowledge base, but to widen your perspective to include a wide creative spectrum of art practices which is paramount to growth as an artist.

The horse sculptures coming out of the wall are by, Sayaka- Kajita-Ganz.

Over the years I have been actively involved in participating in sculpture classes during my art education and I certainly appreciate the medium and sculptors.

I am particularly interested in soft sculpture, on site and site specific, that is

environmentally friendly and harmonious within the world.

Andy Goldsworthy, and those like him I am in admiration of and artists that

use recycled materials or work with the nat

- ural environment to construct their work without damaging the environment. I have tried to do this in my work because I believe it is important to me as an artist to be environmentally conscious.

The photo of the vessel, belonged to a group of folks, who called themselves, the Floating Neutrinos. My life long friend helped construct this with recycled materials and they sailed all over the world . It is more like a floating sculpture that was built collaboratively.

This chair is entitled, Throne Of Weapons.