Objects of delight

James Paterson is an artist and “imagineer” who lives in Ontario. His award-winning wire sculptures are influenced by a childhood in the “vibrant and visually textured Kensington Market area of Toronto” and have been exhibited in Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia.

Violet Nesdoly: What form did your early art take?

James Paterson: I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t creating. I was always drawing, painting and constructing objects that reflected what I was thinking and how I was seeing the world. I used to take plastic model kits and mix up the pieces to create bizarre vehicles and contraptions.

Nesdoly: What role has your Christian faith played in your art practice?

Paterson: Being a follower of Jesus has been central to my whole life. As my whole being is infused with my relationship with Jesus, and much of what I do and my thought life is conveyed in the objects I create, it follows that a Biblical, redemptive and sanctified worldview would emanate through my artwork.

There came a time when, after a 20-year full-time art practice, my wife Lynn and I wanted a change. We were led to the Black Forest Academy in Germany, to work as dorm parents.

Leaving our life here and getting to Germany was stressful. On arrival, I had a bit of a mental crisis and I couldn’t find the words to talk to God. Amid this dark valley I thought, “I’m more visual than verbal, what would my prayers look like?” I began playing with bits of wire, making machine-like objects and sticking them in little blocks of wood so they would stand up. As I did this, I found my words and prayer life returned, so I called them Prayer Machines.

Our three years in Germany turned out to be an artistically creative and productive time for me. Something in the European air inspired me to new levels. It was there that I believe God gave me my “own” voice as an artist through my Prayer Machine wire sculptures.

Nesdoly: How did your wire sculptures develop and change over time?

Paterson: I often work on theme threads. For example, the Prayer Machine theme followed my prayer life and thoughts I had around prayer and talking to God or hearing from him. Coming out of covid, I got onto the theme of Engines of Joy: how to bring joy back into our lives after such a dark and trying time of uncertainty. The more I did, the more I learned about how the wire worked and what was possible. Each piece is part of an ongoing flow; one piece builds on another. I have ideas, I work them out, and build, build, build. Adding colour and movement came early and easily – a natural progression. I use wire and a variety of pliers – no solder or welding. The coloured sections are created with heavy gloss gel, paint and resin.

The object and title go hand in hand. I hope the titles cause people to go deeper into themselves, using the art pieces as a vehicle to enrich their imaginations and follow their intuitions; seeking after rhythms you have to listen carefully for to hear. The words can be a catalyst for that as the sculpture itself causes the viewer to wonder.

Nesdoly: Every illustration in your children’s book, Saturday Morning, is included in your mechanical, moving wire sculpture, the Storytelling Machine. How did you go from creating individual wire sculptures to making such an intricate project?

Paterson: The Storytelling Machine sculpture and Saturday Morning book began with a couple commissioning one of my pieces. I created a piece and two boys appeared in it.

One morning while lying in bed, the whole Saturday Morning story (with the two boys) downloaded into my head as it now appears in the book. I got up and wrote it all down. After the folks purchased the piece, I thought, “I’ve got to build a machine that tells the whole story.” So, I began.

When it was done, I realized it needed a book to go with it. I created all the illustrations in wire (I called them “wirestrations”), photographed each one, printed them out on paper and coloured them with coloured pencils. A publisher approached me. Saturday Morning was published late in 2023 and officially launched at the Reading For the Love Of It conference in Toronto, February, 2024.

Educators who saw the Storytelling Machine and heard me read Saturday Morning at the conference invited Lynn and me to schools to present it. We have been invited to libraries to read and perform, and then conduct wire art workshops for groups from early childhood to seniors. Bookstore chains have had us in stores around southern Ontario and we’ve done team-building activities for employees at company functions.

The Storytelling Machine travels well. It is attached to a custom-made dolly and secured in either a custom trailer or the back of our van.

Nesdoly: Do you have another book in the works?

Paterson: I have three books in the works right now. Two are directly related to the Saturday Morning story and will have machines to go with them. The third, a totally different concept, will hopefully be available in late spring or early summer this year.

Nesdoly: Where can we find more about you and your wire sculptures?

Paterson: After Germany, we lived in Meaford, Ontario for twelve years and my studio was in our home. Last December, we moved to Hamilton. We now have a large studio (M 209) in the Cotton Factory, an amazing arts hub at 270 Sherman Ave., Hamilton, Ontario.

We welcome you to our studio in the Cotton Factory. People can also see my work online on my website, Facebook and Instagram pages (@Jamespatersonart).