Artist Statement

I strive to create work that makes the observer curious.  How did this get here? Where did it come from?  How was it made?  What was it for?  This sense of wonder is central to my work, I try to make objects that evoke this sense of wonder in others.   When I come across an object or a setting, from a steel and block ruin to a natural rock formation, I can’t help but try to figure out its history.  What were the specific series of events that led to this thing, this gorge, this rock, this tree, this nut, this twisted piece of metal, being exactly how it is right now?  My aim is to entice people into this way of thinking through the experience of my work.  

I draw inspiration from my own experiences exploring the industrial ruins of West Rutland, Vermont throughout my childhood, from my adventures as a hydroelectric mechanic, from nature, and from my imagination.  I use scale to draw the observer's attention and details to illicit wonder.  My steel sculptures and charcoal and ink object-based drawings are oversized to encompass the viewer, or small and intimate to draw the viewer closer–to make one squint and lean in.  Once captivated I hope my mark-making and subject matter raise a curiosity.  I understand the world through questions, so I aim to make work that holds one’s attention through the awe of scale, material choice, and construction details, and then takes the participant to another world through questions, hypothesis, and imagination.

Biography

Justin O’Rourke–a native of West Rutland, Vermont–currently lives and works in Salem, NY. After graduating from Dartmouth College, he traveled throughout the Northeast working as a hydroelectric mechanic and welder.

O’Rourke has participated in exhibitions throughout New England including at the FLYNNDOG in Burlington, VT; Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH; Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester, VT; and The Carving Studio and Sculpture Center in West Rutland, VT. He currently has a public art piece, titled Steel Umbrella, on view at the Mascoma Valley Greenway in Lebanon, NH.

O’Rourke creates steel sculptures and large-scale, object-based drawings. Drawn to the physical nature of the work along with the access to large, round, mechanical, environments, his hydroelectric work, along with frequent visits to scrap yards, fuels and informs O’Rourke’s work. In his process-based drawings, he uses physical objects and charcoal to alter the surface of the paper, creating prints of recognizable forms.