The Creator
Michael Binkley is among Canada’s most successful self-represented artists. Based in Vancouver, BC, Canada, he has been a professional stone sculptor for over 40 years and maintains his studio and gallery in Squamish, BC, Canada. Binkley works in a variety of material, scale and idiom for his sculpture, drawings and paintings. Widely known for his original stone sculpture, Michael is exploring new technologies for his 3D and 2D artwork.
ARTIST STATEMENT
“I want to reconnect individuals to their primal instinct of touch. The sensory experience of touch is quickly de-programmed in most of us during childhood. ‘Don’t touch’ is a phrase often spoken to a child during formative years, and we learn that it is almost taboo to touch objects. This imposed societal constraint pushes our desire to touch to a deep place within us and sculpture is one means to resurface that instinct.
When carving sculpture, I try to pay as much attention to the finishing of the piece as I do to the design – different textures are integral to the piece itself, as it supports my desire to have people touch my work as part of their interaction with a particular piece.
In our contemporary world of ‘conceptual art’ as popular art form, I believe there is a missing piece that dismisses line and form, positive and negative space and composition of a discrete sculpture, which I feel is truly valuable in aiding an individual’s interaction with art through touch.
I give thanks for two main blessings in my artistic path. I was fortunate to have experienced my epiphany at an early age, which has allowed me to pursue my passion for sculpture as both a young and middle aged man. And I have the foundation of an international group of collectors that have allowed me to remain self-represented and I am eternally grateful for the support and patronage of this group. I’ve heard it said that it takes a village to raise a child and I believe it takes a community to raise an Artist.”