Robert Lawarre

Artist Statement

I draw from generations of family history and experience in the machine industry. This tradition of working with and creating by hand started with my great grandfather in the thirties. Soon industry looked to mechanization and eventually became fully automated with the creation of CNC equipment. Much of the “obsolete” techniques have been discarded in favor of this new technology. I approach my hand built forms with this loss in mind. I pay homage to my forefathers and their early technology. A patchwork of surfaces textures are created with tools made from discarded items such as fabric scraps, car serpentine belts and taillight lenses. These images are tied together with stitching, casting marks and, seams symbolic of those processes which eventually consumed the industry. The form and function, while paying homage to the decorative serving vessels of a preindustrial time are enveloped by a new mindset.