Tim Hawkinson Analysis

Born in San Francisco, California, Tim Hawkinson, 55, is a sculptural artist who currently works and resides in Los Angeles, California. Interestingly, there exists no single medium in particular that Tim employs in his works; rather, with a widely diverse variety of found, purchased, or created materials and components, each creation he builds is its own unique statement, each one a separate experiment in material study and fabrication.

There are, however, several common themes that run through the majority of his pieces, in addition to the splash of flavor that is his own unique style and artistic methods. Often, Tim’s works are somewhat anatomical in nature; that is, a reflection of not simply the human body but also the essence of human

I think it is only appropriate to start with a critique of his Spoon Ball (Fig. 1) as it was one of his first pieces to catch my eye during my initial research. I particularly like the use of negative space in this piece, and not simple the outer spaces created by the protruding spoon handles, but also the implied space within the piece that is not even visible. This effect is particularly striking as typically a spoon is not an object that tends to enclose space, and so when employed as in the case of Spoon Ball it creates a visual intrigue into the spaces within this design. Is this a reflection of the body? Is it even a portrait of so minute an aspect of the human anatomy as the cell? I like the fact that this piece is left entirely up to interpretation and I also appreciate the craftsmanship of the welding work that went into

4). Completed in 1997, Bird is literally a 2” high sculpture of a bird skeleton, created solely with Tim’s fingernail clippings. Most striking is the high level of attention to detail, and even at a long glance the piece is almost indistinguishable from the skeletal structure of an actual bird. I love the use of balance in the design that ensures the piece is self-supporting, and I also like the fragility of the design which I consider to be also very evocative of an actual bird skeleton. I like the use of creative materials in the piece, and also the creative use of varied sizes and widths of clippings to effectively produce a believable