Birds with Wings

"HAVA HOVERS"
Wood, cloth, metal, found objects
20" x 23" x 12"


"TIPE COMES IN FOR A LANDING"
Wood, cloth, metal, found objects
31" x 33" x 16"


The raven and owl landing are a part of a new series. The wings on both birds are made up from thin strips of wood wired together. Once the wood is stained it takes on the quality of feathers in motion.

I am going to continue making a group of birds that are landing.

American Style Magazine Article

Working in My Studio

I've just returned from SOFA Chicago where my gallery, Jane Sauer, sold five of my pieces. I gave a lecture during the art fair and so inspired one person,after the talk, she came by the booth and purchased one of my pieces.

The photograph above shows one of my rabbits getting ready to be stained. The base also needs to have tin nailed to it.

Birds and Rabbits

I am working with a new gallery in Palm Desert, CA. Several of these pieces are headed to them.

Talk at SOFA Chicago

"I am Still An Animal": A Conversation with Geoffrey Gorman

SOFA CHICAGO VIP Lounge

1:30 pm 05-Nov-2011


Geoffrey Gorman creates a strange menagerie of fanciful, found-object animals. Listen as he discusses the process of discovering and working with found materials including sticks, rusted screws, washers, bicycle tires, old tools, bailing wire and discarded canvas, his inspirations and influences, and the mythology behind the ‘lives’ of his curious creatures. An intense physical process goes into the making of each one as they are constructed of many layers of different found materials. Gorman’s works are in the permanent collections of numerous museums as well as in national and international private collections.

New Work For SOFA Chicago

American Craft Article

Barn Owl

Sunia Settles in for the Night
M/m
17" x 11" x 14"

I am getting ready for SOFA Santa Fe, the art fair that opens on August 3rd at the Santa Fe Convention Center. This large owl is sitting on a fungus which I collected in Sitka, Alaska. Up there they call it Bear's Breath. It makes a great perch for this fellow.

Just about all of this piece is made from parts of tires, inner tubes and strips of old mountain bike tires. His tail feathers are cut from an old croquette set.

All The Work for Chengju

These are all the pieces that I am sending to Korea for the craft biennial. It was a major push but I love a deadline. It is stressful but when it is done there is a great sense of accomplishment.

Now I am finishing up work for SOFA Santa Fe, which opens on August 3rd.

Cheongju International Craft Biennale 2011, South Korea

I am just finishing work for the Cheongju International Craft Biennale 2011 in South Korea. The curators asked me to make an antelope for the exhibition along with six other pieces.

If you are in Chengju, stop by and see the show which opens in September. Pretty Exciting!

Short Video, Second Nature

Second Nature
Jane Sauer Gallery
June 17-July 12, 2011

The two final large pieces for my show

Santa Fean June/July

The Santa Fean June/July Issue

Geoffrey Gorman: Second Nature
Jane Sauer Gallery
June 17-July 12

Gorman's menagerie of otherworldly animalistic creations has the whiff of Dr. Frankenstein and Tim Burton about it (though never as outright creepy as either). These are critters who've been stitched back together with whatever's handy - sticks, paper, rubber, discarded bits of metal and twine - by someone who can't quite recall exactly what a bird, a dog, a rabbit looked like, before whatever apocalypse arrived and blew everything apart.

It's hard to say, from an artistic perspective, if all the extra bits - the amulets, the trinkets, the buttons - are too much and therefore unnecessary or not enough and somehow tentative. Or if the entire Art Brutish quality is a put-on or genuine, and what either might mean, if anything. It's as if Gorman still isn't as sure (or surehanded) about whether he's going for maximalism or minimalism with these creaturely assemblages. Which may be his point.
Devon Jackson

June Show

Second Nature: Geoffrey Gorman

JANE SAUER Gallery
Reception Friday June 17th from 5:00-7:00 pm
Geoffrey Gorman is breathing life into what might be considered to be the detritus of our culture. He constructs artworks using sticks, rusted screws, washers, bicycle tires, old tools, bailing wire, discarded canvas, and other things that are housed in cluttered garages or the backs of closets suffering from neglect. An intense physical process goes into making each work as Gorman builds from a series of elements layer upon layer. He explores the shared identity between animals and humans. Gorman’s artistic journey explores common moments and concerns. His magical animals will be “strutting their stuff” at Jane Sauer Gallery. As Gorman develops his animals, he also creates narratives from scientific writings, observation, and his very active imagination. During construction his mind seems to integrate these three prongs into a seamless whole. Gorman is fascinated by the humanness of animal behavior and the animalistic tendencies in human behavior. He states, “These creatures live in their own world, a more 'natural' world than the one we inhabit. The exciting challenge is for us to figure out how we can relate to them and what we can learn from their survival instincts which do not destroy the environments in which they live”.
Exhibit June 17th through July 12th

Alpinus in Action

Alpinus in Action
M/m
40” x 96” x 18”

When we see animals running, often it is a blur of body and limbs. The pioneering work of photographer Eadweard J. Muybridge was able to break down each movement of an animal in motion, letting us see the articulation of their bodies.

This piece captures the movement of one dog in two positions: on the left he has his ears back, his feet underneath him, just hitting his stride. Starting to run, the dog on the right is stretching out his feet as he prepares to take off.

Oliaris Caught in the Light

I have been working with Audrey Derell, an amazing graphic designer, to create a portrait of one of my creatures. Audrey orchestrated this image called "Oliaris Caught in the Light."

(What you are seeing is a photograph of a rabbit that has tripped a trigger on a night-vision infrared broad spectrum camera. Used mainly for security, I was able to 'borrow' one of these gadgets and set it up in a secret location...hoping to capture the elusive Oliaris rabbit. In the photo, it appears that he is sitting in a wooded area.)

This image is being released as a limited edition digital print in conjunction with a fundraiser for arts in public schools in Santa Fe.

New York Post

The New York Post interviewed me and then used one of my images in their article about SOFA New York.

Alleni Taking Aim

Alleni Taking Aim
M/m/croquet ball
25" x 18" x 9"

Historically, it seems like rabbits have been portraid as meek, passive creatures, something afraid of human contact...but not in New Mexico. The large jack rabbits that I see around Santa Fe are nothing but fast, sleek, intelligent and sometimes scary. I often stumble on them while hiking, some are brown and white, some black and white.

I have started thinking of them as tricksters, especially when it comes to interacting with humans. Once my back is turned, I figure they can do just about anything to us!

Alleni, the about rabbit, has a large, heavy wooden croquet ball. He does not seem timid as he looks around for a target.

Surviving SOFA

I have just returned from participating in SOFA New York where I was represented by Jane Sauer and her amazing staff. During the fair, five of my pieces found new homes, one being purchased by a young couple from Cuzco, Peru. Here are the pieces that were sold:

Having Wings

On the back wall of the Jane Sauer Gallery, five ravens are watching each other.



A cat stands in the corner, watching the ravens as they converse with each other.



A large fruit bat, wings extended, dominates the center of the room.



The back of the bat has accumulated some ends and odds. Behind him a large hanging bird swoops down from the fire place. To the left a Great Blue Heron looks toward the door.



Two black Ibis sit on a base made from old mountain bike tires. Hanging from the wall, a nest of old twigs has been made by a swarm of song birds, who fly below the nest.



Two chickens strut around each other, showing off their beautiful feathers.

Interpretations

macklotii
M/m
24" x 24" x 5"


Recently, I came across an article about all the naturalists that had lost their lives in pursuit of documenting new species of flora and fauna from around the world. There was an illustration of a fruit bat that had been collected by one of these unfortunate scientists. It had been collected and sent back to a natural history museum in the Netherlands in the mid 1800's.

What struck me as interesting was how the preserved bat looked more like a bear, even a friendly teddy bear. Obviously, whoever 'stuffed' this bat had never seen a real one. Their interpretation of what they thought this creature should look like is so different than what it looks like in real life.

The bat 'wings' were cut out of an old work apron that I had saved. I seem to save just about everything I use in my studio, and this creature begged to have himself cloaked in a piece of fabric that had some history to it.

January Work

Dryomis & Perigyps
wood/metal/inner tubes/found material
39" x 30" x 30"

These two birds that are wrapped in bike inner tubes were originally made about four years ago. They have been sitting in my studio, collecting dust. I decided to transform them, one more time. Wrapping the wooden structure seems like a natural progression, at least to me.

The base is made from mountain bike tires and inner tubes with a little metal added. (This particular style I refer to as "nuvo-Mennonite." I think of Mennonites as Shakers that got wild, and maybe smoked a little pot.)