SELECTS01 Joel Parkes Wood Artist‘Part of what I’ve always done with my life is to set out to do something that’s ridiculous and stupid and far more work than it should be,’ says Joel Parkes. His ambitious, predominantly wood-based sculptures tend to consist of groups of objects that collectively trace the life cycle of a tree. And, as he explains, they are in constant evolution. ‘My work isn’t about making just one thing and it sits there and it’s static and it’s over,’ he says. ‘It’s got a family; it’s got an evolution. It has pieces that prefix it and pieces that suffix it. So the whole thing is one long process – and it will turn into other materials, it will turn into other realms, other techniques… so it’s all process, but it has several end points along the way.’What makes Parkes’s work unique is the way he stresses his material to breaking point – and then embraces those fractures by bejewelling them with precious metals and stones. ‘I suppose the whole point is to investigate the beauty of flaws and imperfections as opposed to things just being broken or badly made,’ he explains. ‘Acceptance of that – and drawing attention to it – is what makes people beautiful.’ He admits that the process is sometimes ‘a nightmare’ – from dealing with the enormous pieces of wood to the introspective nature of his practice. And while he sees the constant clash with the material as a fundamental element in his work he sees all the four elements in the wood he works with.‘A tree is the shape of a lung, water is its oxygen – that is what a tree is, so in material terms it is a concoction of earth, wind, water, all of the elements. I really believe working with wood is like working with a futuristic material. It is incredible, it has flex, it’s beautiful, and we understand it. I really feel like all of the elements are involved in that material and that is why I work with it.’ zero-studio.co.ukJoel Parkes, , creates ambitious sculptures such as Integument of Ideas,PHOTOGRAPHS PELLE CREPIN  predominantly in wood -‘It is incredible, it has flex, it’s beautiful,’ he says. Norfolk Work Jacket, £110; carriercompany.co.ukINTERVIEWFeel flowsDescribed as a ‘hydroponic Jackson Pollock’, the artist Kim Keever uses paint dispersed in water to create otherworldly images, varying from model-based landscapes to more abstract compositions. Here, he explains how an appreciation of romanticism and fluid flow dynamics have inspired his unique, mesmeric work…*The mid-19th century US art movement founded by Thomas Cole, with a style heavily influenced by European Romanticism. Other notable figures in the movement included Asher Durand, Frederic Edwin Church, Albert Bierstad and John Frederick Kensett How did you first hit on the technique?When I first started making and photographing tabletop models, it quickly became apparent that it wasn’t easy to get an atmospheric effect. I was making landscapes, but everything looked like Mars. I started surrounding the models with plastic and putting smoke bombs within the enclosed space. This worked to a certain extent, but I wasn’t able to get beyond a foggy look. It finally dawned on me that paint in water would probably work. At the time, a friend of mine was throwing out a 100-gallon aquarium. That made all the difference and I have continued with that method ever since.Is it right your background is in thermal engineering? Has that proved useful in your art? Oddly enough, it has proved very useful. I am able to plan projects that will hold up for a week or a year depending on my purposes, but the most useful aspect has been with my latest project. For the past four years, I have greatly simplified my method to dropping coloured paint directly into the water and photographing the results. I would have to say my connection with engineering relates to a graduate class I took in fluid flow dynamics. This is the study of how fluids move around various surfaces. The knowledge has helped me experiment with various shapes of objects to get ever-interesting and surprising results.Can you talk us through the process? Tubes are one of the ways I get the paint to disperse in the tank. I have also experimented with water-filled balloons, wide-diameter tubes, cake plates and various other shapes. Whatever I use, I am always at the mercy of the randomness of it all. I can’t really predict how colours will converge or separate. I thoroughly enjoy the surprises.How are your landscapes created?The landscapes are made of plaster and various store-bought and handmade trees for model railway building.How much retouching is involved?Good question. There definitely is some retouching to be done in general. There is always a certain amount of paint and bubbles that stick to the glass. There are areas that subjectively need to be made more or less ‘contrasty’. Colours are strengthened or weakened. On occasion, an image will be almost perfect.Some of the imagery is reminiscent of landscape and romantic painting – are there specific works or genres that influence your own art? I have a strong connection with the Hudson River School*. I do love the work, but it’s more of a coincidence that almost all my early landscapes relate to these paintings.It seems that you are moving towards a more abstract approach to your image making – is that fair?This is true. I really like the random quality. I am always looking for new variations, and I often like a new image just for the interesting colour.‘Wired’ magazine once described you as ‘a hydroponic Jackson Pollock’ – how do you take that? Yes, I love that description. There’s a certain amount of truth to it. I ‘throw’ the colour into the tanks and see the results later. I definitely see a connection.In this age of Instagram and instant visual fixes, your work seems to reward long, quiet contemplation – is that something that is intentional? That’s a nice way to put it, but I don’t deliberately try to accomplish that. Perhaps there are subconscious decisions going on.Are you exploring ideas of impermanence and temporality in your work – ie we are looking at a fraction of time when the colours mix perfectly, before they all diffuse? The work is definitely about impermanence.What do you feel about the theory that beauty is now ‘disruptive’ in the contemporary art scene? As the old adage goes, ‘Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder’. As we grow up, we all make the decision as to what is beautiful – or ugly for that matter. Certainly, art doesn’t have to be beautiful, but it still can be. Unfortunately, most people outside the art world think of beauty in connection to sentimental or saccharin qualities. If some of my work is considered beautiful, I am happy with that. That said, I make a lot of work that is not necessarily beautiful… kimkeevers.comFOCUSSedilia x Connolly Connolly Club Chair in tan leatherApproached by Isabel Ettedgui of Connolly to make a club chair for her brand, the London-based cabinetmaker and upholstery expert Sedilia (celebrating its 20th birthday in 2018) has produced a true modern classic.Using specially tanned Connolly tan leather with natural oak underframe and legs, each Club Chair uses over a hide’s worth of hand-finished leather, since the back is made of a single sweep of leather.‘This chair is a bit like our tailoring,’ says Ettedgui. ‘It’s very subtle and needs to be “worn”. I am thrilled to be able to work and find such talent and dedication in the heart of London.’From £4,900; connollyengland.comPHOTOGRAPH RICHARD FOSTER  ‘It’s amazing and very temperamental,’ she says. Connolly cashmere cardigan, £620; connollyengland.comNaomi Bikis, , makes limitededition collections of sculptural forms from clay,PHOTOGRAPHS PELLE CREPIN