When aiming to create a delicate piece of art, concrete may not be the first medium you would turn to; but after nearly twenty years of working with paint Gary Brooks adopted a new artistic direction when he began experimenting with ‘concrete orbs’.
“It’s quite rewarding to make something fragile and beautiful from a material that people think is heavy and ugly”, Brooks explains.
Equally concerned with how his creations feel to touch as they look to view, Brooks enjoys the tactile opportunities that come with creating directly with his hands.
Originally from South Africa, the bright interiors of Brooks’ orbs are inspired by the vibrant colour combinations of his homeland. Brooks believes that it is the way that the orbs appear to glow with colour that attracts people to them; but that it is only once they are close enough to touch the object that they begin to form a connection.
Brooks suspects that coming from the bustling concrete jungle that is Johannesburg may have led to his interest in the medium.
The orbs, which have evolved over quite a period of time, began as a project to create concrete bowls. “I made a few bowls and then thought it would be nice to make them look more natural and more like pieces of sculpture as to just pouring concrete into a mould.”
Brooks mixes each batch of concrete by hand and uses no mechanics in any part of his process. This ensures that each creation is entirely individual. When it comes to the inside, various mediums are applied in a careful order to achieve the unique luminosity that his orbs have become known for.
Brooks’ orbs are available from galleries and design stores across New Zealand.
“It’s quite rewarding to make something fragile and beautiful from a material that people think is heavy and ugly”, Brooks explains.
Equally concerned with how his creations feel to touch as they look to view, Brooks enjoys the tactile opportunities that come with creating directly with his hands.
Originally from South Africa, the bright interiors of Brooks’ orbs are inspired by the vibrant colour combinations of his homeland. Brooks believes that it is the way that the orbs appear to glow with colour that attracts people to them; but that it is only once they are close enough to touch the object that they begin to form a connection.
Brooks suspects that coming from the bustling concrete jungle that is Johannesburg may have led to his interest in the medium.
The orbs, which have evolved over quite a period of time, began as a project to create concrete bowls. “I made a few bowls and then thought it would be nice to make them look more natural and more like pieces of sculpture as to just pouring concrete into a mould.”
Brooks mixes each batch of concrete by hand and uses no mechanics in any part of his process. This ensures that each creation is entirely individual. When it comes to the inside, various mediums are applied in a careful order to achieve the unique luminosity that his orbs have become known for.
Brooks’ orbs are available from galleries and design stores across New Zealand.
