Catch and Release Enigmas - Layl McDill

Artist Statement:

Remember that feeling when you went to a museum and saw all the mysterious old tools from ancient worlds laid out row after row? Or maybe you got a peek inside some broken electronic and saw all those circuits. Then there are all the times when something mysterious about nature is explained and still you just can’t hardly believe it. The word that comes closest to describing that fantastic feeling that drives you to pursue more knowledge and fills you with joy is “wonder”. When I create my mixed media sculptures I use wonderment as a mechanism to show the things we live with everyday in a new perspective.

In my most recent body of work I am creating pieces that celebrate the vital species and community members in this complex web of life we are all part of. “Fox’s Devours Brings Birds and Flowers” is about the important connection that carnivores have to the ecosystem. I always remember experiencing this in my own neighborhood when a family of foxes moved in. There were noticeably less rabbits and it was interesting how the birds, plants and everything seemed more vibrant. Another piece that connects us to nature is “‘What’s the Difference?’ asked the Great Blue Heron”. I was inspired to make this piece after seeing Herons down and Mexico and in the winter and thinking it could be the same ones that are up in Minnesota in the summer. I hope the viewer will contemplate the ideas about movement that different species are free to make and the movement that others are not free to make.

Some works celebrate our human need for stories to explain and understand our world. My piece “Rhino with too Many Ideas ” was created with the idea of the viewer exploring all the details of the sculpture which could spark ideas for stories- which you can write down and put on the line with the other stories. Other pieces like “Ape Thought he was In Control of the Trees” feel like they are from a familiar fable or fairy tale but they are really just waiting for the viewer to overlay their own imagination to discover the story themselves.

There are multiple layers of discovery in my work. First there are the large found objects that form the main construction of the work, then there are the smaller found objects and finally there are the millefiori slices of tiny designs in the polymer clay. This is an ancient glass technique which I have adapted to polymer clay. My pallet of pictures that I use on my pieces is extensive as I have millefiori canes going back as far as 25 years. When I create a piece I use these slices mainly for their color and texture but when the piece is on view it becomes a treasure hunt for tiny captivating discoveries.

My mission in my work is to use stories and animals in order to compel others to listen and look at issues we have to examine in new ways that lead towards creative solutions. I hope that viewers will not only be fascinated by the technique but presented with some thoughts about ways to look at the world we live in and given their daily dose of wonderment.