Artist Email: chad.farnes@gmail.com
Artist Website: www.ezetary.com
Medium: visual arts using tapes (duct tapes, etc)
Artist Statement
The western United States stands as a testament to the beauty that can be created through the herculean efforts of nature. From the heights of the Rockies to the suffocatingly tight depths of the Zion narrows, western landscapes have hypnotized and inspired generations of individuals, including myself.
I have recently felt entirely overwhelmed by the rapid disregard for nature in the communities which I consider home. Over the past several years, the Utah legislature, in addition to several politicians throughout the West, have established a crusade against public lands. While these politicians would continue to maintain the most popular areas, much would be striped of their natural beauty for the sake of economic ventures, such as oil and mining operations. I am disgusted by the disregard of nature for the sake of quick financial profit.
The goal of my art is preservation. Originally it started as the preservation of western lands, although it quickly expanded to the preservation of history, both in natural landscapes and architecture. While it is my goal to draw attention to the need for preservation through the visual qualities of my art, I also create an analogy about preservation by using tape as a medium.
My art consists of only tape, such as duct tape and masking tape. My technique begins by layering pieces of tape. As my work continues, the tape slowly takes form, creating intricate images. It can be a painstakingly slow process, layering strip after seemingly insignificantly small strip, yet together the pieces of tape create a synergistic effect which produces stunning landscapes and architecture. Tape to many may seem meaningless and inconsequential but when applied using the correct techniques, it can create beautiful images that can be enjoyed now and for generations to come.
History defines humanity. In the West and throughout the United States, we need to preserve this history so that it can be enjoyed by generations in the future. My goal is that my art will be a definitive voice for the preservation of the natural and architectural history that defines the West and the United States.