Meet the maker Tom Cheek

INSPIRATION AND CONCEPT
The key to my work is to hold faith to the belief that art can be in a beautiful form without the need to be held to one genre. This is true to the world we live in today, where there are choices we have in adhering to society’s written and unwritten laws, rules and expectations. In my work, wirework represents the backbone to society. The other mediums represent groups within a community. The wirework offers a structure that is solid to some of these groups and confines and limits others. Sections of the work combine in complete tranquility; others compete but accept each others presence. Small sections fight to secure their place. Although small they play an integral role, as by maintaining their identity they bring balance through diversity.

TECHNIQUES
My work looks at three distinct areas; Human Expression; Nature’s blueprint and man-made objects, images of which are captured through photography.

Design software is used to further develop contrast and intensify colours. Negative space is considered and marked with a set(s) of wire work. This offers body to the work and a spinal structure to which the other elements combine. Additional shapes are created with acetate (similar to broken glass) to offer opportunity to highlight sub-shapes. Ink is used to focus on highlighted areas and sections of shadow. Mosaic (using various materials) identifies further shapes within the work to bring in a dimension of abstract style. Acrylic adds texture and is used in block shapes (again focusing on negative space) to work at times in harmony and at other times against the other sub shapes formed by the other mediums of wire-work, acetate and mosaic.