Khnum : Michael Storrs

About

A solo exhibition of sculptures in clay and paintings

Michael Storrs background was in organising classical music events and representing performers such as Kiri Te Kanawa and Jose Carreras for one the biggest music agencies in the world. Since retiring he has returned to concentrating on his art from his unique property in Bideford, Devon. Over his many years of travelling the world he has absorbed influences from such modern masters as Louise Bourgeois, Miguel Barcelo, Cy Twombly, Antoni Tapies and Picasso. Music also remains a great influence on his work particularly in his sense of line, rhythm and texture.

Since moving to Bideford Michael has also met and undertaken courses with the internationally renowned potter Sandy Brown who has encouraged Michael in his art and been generous with her support.


"I paint in oil and ink and make ceramic sculpture. Living near the coast I'm affected by tides and all the nature surrounding us. Music also has a strong influence on my work; the pace of it and its ebb and flow.
I like working with clay and find that my mind can just go off on a trip
while I'm working! There is quite a tripping side to clay, time can stand
still and what comes out can quite often be a surprise."

– Michael Storrs


The idea that humankind was created from clay appears across many civilisations and religions. Khnum, the ram headed god, one of the earliest Egyptian deities is also known as "the great potter" and was one such god who was said to have created mankind from clay. Recent scientific research has also posited the theory that clay could have been the laboratory for the proteins, DNA and living cells that form the building blocks of life. Biological engineers from Cornell University's department for Nanoscale Science in New York believe...


"In early geological history clay hydrogel provided a confinement function for biomolecules and chemical reactions. Over billions of years, chemicals confined in these spaces could have carried out the complex reactions that formed proteins, DNA and eventually all the machinery that makes a living cell work." – Professor Dan Luo, Cornell University.