Mark Carroll Artist Statement

  My sculpture is an exploration of archetypal forms that arouse the aesthetic spirit and evoke those emotions that make us uniquely human.
  I prefer to work with nature's raw materials, primarily wood and stone. By temperament, I am a carver. I love the physical act of pushing a chisel across the wood's grain, watching the chip curl off as it passes, or discovering how stone splits under the pitching tool.
     During the carving process, creative insights merge with the qualities of each material to arrive at a meaningful form. The material's resistance to the tools energizes me. Shapes emerge and evolve as I carve. Sculpting is a collaboration of my thoughts with the intrinsic nature of granite or marble, walnut or mahogany.
    The styles vary from representational to abstract. The forms usually relate to the figure. The sculptural statements are affirmations of the human spirit.
     Art is man's attempt to understand himself and to express what he has found to others. My sculptures help give meaning to the paths that I have traveled and explore the possibilities that lie ahead.