Local Materials + Big Ideas= Paul Bagley

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By VictoriaSaccomagno

Paul Bagley, Home,Mixed MediaInstallation, Dimensions Variable, 2012  

Oklahoma City-basedartist Paul Bagley works with raw materials to create beautiful andthought-provoking structures. Interacting with the environment instead ofsolely taking from it is an important part of his work. In speaking casuallywith him one can immediately sense his progressive attitude toward his life andhis art. Bagley perseveres with the motivation to constantly challenge himselfby working in tough conditions, such as the projects he has done at Burning Man.I was able to ask him a few questions about the inspiration, preferences, and challengesbehind his work.
Q:Generally, what would you say is the inspiration behind your work? Is there anabstraction of form, or do the forms speak for themselves without having areference?PB: In essence, I think I’m trying todiscover the roots of art, and in that I find myself in love with raw materialsfor 3D work; i.e. wood, metal, glass, clay, natural materials, preferablyup-cycled/recycled/reincarnated/repurposed. I love building something that I’vedrawn on paper. I draw all the time, but sometimes want to be immersed in whatI draw.
Q:Do you have a preferred medium? I know that you work with metals, is there aparticular type that is more suited to the type of work that you like toproduce?PB: Good question. I used to workcommercially in 2D. I did it for so long that I wanted to move on and startedto make 3D work, more present and effective. I made it a point to avoid newsynthetic materials, especially toxic ones. I realize steel is energyintensive, but it’s a brute and raw material for the ages. I don’t want to usetoxic resins or petrochemicals in my work. This includes architecturally. Ilike using earth materials that are annual renewables  like straw. Some methods I've worked include straw bale, rammed straw, recycled paper-crete, cobb,adobe, etc. Basically, there’s an art and regional beauty to the world, whichmeans building with local materials. You can build a house with what surroundsyou.

Paul Bagley, Home (installed at the Hardesty Arts Center),Mixed Media Installation, Dimensions Variable, 2012 

Q:How would you say your process begins? Since your pieces can be so large, isthere a sketching/pre-design phase that allows for the structural stability ofyour work?PB: Since each piece Imake requires a lot of labor, I usually move on to a relatively new idea afteraccomplishing one that’s been on the drawing board for some time. I start withintent then create the experience through a series of sketches. I usuallycreate a scale model with 2D and 3D software, and then I start building. Iusually run into complex surprises that I didn't realize while using acomputer. By building all of my work, I learn a lot after the 3D model isbuilt.
Inaddition to the insight of his work overall, here is the artist’s statementabout his piece entitled “Home” for Concept/OK. The work consisted of multiplered ‘nest’ pieces made from mixed materials that hang in various locationsthroughout the exhibit. 
PB: The motivations for the work arebased upon the concept of home and birth. I am always struck by the empty nestswithin defoliated trees upon winter. Bird’s nests are a reminder that theseunique animals move in direct relation to the tilt of the planets axis againstthe sun, a remarkable scale of migration beyond most other animals on Earth.Without road signs or maps, birds routinely return from the opposite hemisphereto the exact tree or bridge from which they were born, not unlike salmon andsea turtles. 

The Concept/OK: Art in Oklahoma exhibition welcomes to the public with free admission through February 16, 2013  at the new Tulsa Arts and Humanities Council’s Hardesty Arts Center. Admission is free of charge. See www.concept-ok.org for more information.  Learn more about Bagley at his website http://paulbagley.com or this recent video.