Sam Tufnell

My workspace is more like a factory than an atelier. I order materials from the same steel supplier as a construction worker, use the same tools as a mechanic. I conceive each of my sculptures within a particular room or landscape. I think in terms of ‘life-size’ rather than a monumental scale and how materials relate to concepts. I began my work with trees and roses because I was concerned with getting away from abstraction and minimalism. I enjoy this factory-like process and the conflict of trying to convey nature through a regimented, more impersonal, assembly line system. Similarly, casting and mold making are also mechanical, replicative, processes. Most of the items I cast are bought at the super market and I have chosen objects that are easily identifiable. Pop art and still life painting have always fascinated me and I am interested in creating sculpture that draws on pictorial composition.