by hollindaze, aka Rhonda Olson
Group Show ‘Looking Ahead’ til Dec. 13.
I like the artist’s commitment to explore his medium. I love that Wilson’s chosen medium is beautiful in its own right but, rarely used to make art, and in general, has little respect – the lowly toothpick. A tool most often used to unwedge food caught between one’s teeth.
Common indeed, but in Jay Wilson’s hands the toothpick is dressed up and ready to go to the ball in a pinkburgundydress! Making the toothpick his own, Wilson’s pieces are not only labour intensive to create, these works are sometimes made with the help of friends, but they also speak to the intricacies of design, engineering and construction.