Artist Bio
J.R. Sebasttian
I attempt to be an original thinker. One medium, alone, cannot, will not ever provide the release for all the facets of my imagination and intellectual curiosity.
Sculpting, printmaking, bead working, rustic furniture making, painting, writing, photo-manipulating, fetish making are sensual and intellectual events giving me the opportunity to make my mark; to act as god, and to defy the concept of death.
It is for me, a vain yet positive gesture, which helps me to state that I am alive.
In the creative state, I am alone with wood, paper, canvas, stone, glass, whatever, and the act for me, must be a pure one.
When I enter my studio a state of openness must prevail.
An unconscious merging of intuition, discipline, celebration and accident is what I hope for in the final analysis.
Statement from the Artist
THE CREATION OF THE DOGHOUSE SCULPTURE
Art is a magic, and magic is greatly predictable on our insecurity and apprehension about the unknown, and our acknowledgement of our own frailty and vulnerability, and our nearlysubbliminal awareness of our own capacity to produce miracles (as well as disasters). It is consequently a response to our acknowledgement of the paradox, compromise, and even absurdity of the condition of our existence as artists and human beings.
This sculpture is both functional and non-functional as a doghouse depending on the ability of the seer to see the magic, and use their own creativeness.
The house is built entirely from European buckthorn wood, an invasive exotic species that I have found many practical uses for in both my sculptural career as well as and my rustic gardware and furniture building.
Creating to benefit the creatures of this planet is a magical journey. The general human condition is to think of our planetary creatures as subordinate. I strongly disagree, if anything, we are the lesser species. After all, creatures have not destroyed this planet, humans have.
The nature of the domesticated dog, seems to have provided the human with something that humans are unable to give to one another, unconditional love. But once again, the human has found a way to destroy this unconditional love and replace it with distrust through cruelty, abandonment, superiority complex, whatever.
As an avowed dog companion, and a human who depends very greatly on the love and companionship of my English Springer spaniels, and as a person who’s philosophy is, “ if my dog is not welcome, I don’t go,” I am deeply thankful for the existence of organizations such as Homeforlife who care for those who share the planet with us, and allow them the opportunity to live with dignity.