‘Artist Spotlight’ Of The Week: Alan Williams
Howdy Nation! In today’s post, we are going to be featuring our ‘Artist Spotlight’ of the week: Alan Williams. Alan Williams is best known for using recycled scrap metal to create beautiful art sculptures. In this interview, we will be learning all about Alan’s process of creating a metal sculpture and what inspires him to create octopus art!
What draws you in or fascinates you the most about octopuses? When did this start for you?
“Since as early as I can remember I have had a fascination of marine life and the alien world of the sea. No water dwelling creature captured my imagination more than the octopus. Intelligent and agile, with the ability to change colour, texture and shape in the most incredible way.”
OctoNation members love knowing how long your work takes you to complete… Can you describe the process?
“It’s taken me years to develop my style of work and my creative path has been a long winding road with many rocky patches. If you can’t make mistakes, you can’t make anything.”
Was this modeled after a specific octopus species? Did you use any references?
“My work is highly illustrative and a lot of the time, it’s between fantasy and reality. Octopuses evoke images and symbolism of the dreamworld. I love watching them and the way they move and transform. I aim to capture their sinuous forms within my work but I also incorporate other styles and inspirations, such as the artistic movement of art nouveau.”
What materials were used?
“I use scrap and found metal, mechanical salvage, retired tools, bicycle gears, chainsaw chain, motorbike sprockets and chain.”
Who (or what) are your biggest influences?
“The natural world
Art nouveau
H.R Giger
Karl Blossfeldt
My own imagination!”
When do you feel the most creative?
“Later part of the day is when I have the best creative flow.”
How do you know when a piece is finished?
“I used to find it hard to know when to call time on making a piece, but now I’m pretty confident about when it’s finished. It’s not finished until the surface treatment is completed. Although, sometimes I will change or do more work on a piece I previously considered finished.”
What’s the best website for people to discover your work?
“alanwilliamsmetalartist.com”
Do you have an artist statement?
“I try to capture life and movement within my work. I’m just the conduit for a higher creative force.”
🐙 Octopus Fun Fact
“I have a tattoo of an octopus on my arm and shoulder!”
Thank You For Joining Us For Artist Spotlight!
First, we want to give a big thank you to Alan Williams for allowing us to showcase this beautiful octopus sculpture on OctoNation. To continue supporting Alan and his gallery of art, make sure to follow him on Instagram @alanwilliamsmetalartist and on Facebook. If you have any interest in commission a piece from him, contact him through his website for more information!
If you want to educate yourself some more about all sorts of different cephalopods, take a look at our encyclopedia. Or, what we call it, our Octopedia!
Connect with other octopus lovers via the OctoNation Facebook group, OctopusFanClub.com! Make sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram to keep up to date with the conservation, education, and ongoing research of cephalopods.
More Posts To Read:
- Octopus Sweater: The Perfect Hand-Stitched Addition
- 9 Giant Pacific Octopus Facts That Will Blow Your Mind
- Tiny Hairy Octopus: The Cutest Species You’ve NEVER Heard Of!
- Maori Octopus Facts: One Of New Zealand’s Largest Species!
- 5 Awesome Dumbo Octopus Facts (The Cutest Octopus Ever!)
Vee is the blog manager here at OctoNation. Her love and knowledge for all things cephalopods has grown immensely since joining the OctoNation team- and continues to grow daily!
Vee uses her skills of writing, editing, and brainstorming to help create fun, yet educational posts about cephalopods- Something everyone can read and enjoy! As someone who spent the better part of her childhood near the ocean in Miami, Florida, she grew up learning to appreciate all sea life. Her love for the sea inspired her to do something daring- she dyed her hair blue!
