Artist Statement | Jim Holbert

I work with clay and metal to make visual objects, as I feel a deep connection to the natural world. Much of my art draws inspiration from the desert landscape of Arizona where I have lived since 2004. I compose, bend, weld, melt, and transform raw materials into visual objects that are useful and have meaning. Clay and metal are primitive; they tell the stories of our past. They have a permanence that challenges our modern, technology-driven life. What’s real anymore? That question is on my mind all the time.

For me, the objects I make do have to be grounded in an aesthetic: beauty, line, form, material. I’m fascinated with the idea of stopping a moment in time; capturing the essence of a scene, expressing the emotion encapsulated within that moment. I want the viewer to respond as if to be reminded of the past, a place, and the memory of that place. That drives my curiosity, my desire to make more.