"I’m very interested in surrounding myself with the stuff that inspires me. I’m an artist who gets a lot from things, and in that way I’m very much a sculptor. I really love the world of stuff. I know a lot of artists who prefer to have very Spartan lives. Their inspiration is very much in their heads. They like clean, white, empty New York kinds of spaces. But I really like the surprising juxtapositions when you put things together on the bookshelf and when you start to collect things."
- Mark Dion
I really liked some of Mark Dion's art and I really disliked some of it. Some of the pieces that aren't my favorite of his are the ones with trash in giant stacks. I don't find it visually appealing and it doesn't take very much artistic skill and is not very thoughtful in my opinion. I do like this particular piece because it looks like a tree that someone has turned into their home. There are books, baskets, pictures on the trunk, etc. and it feels very homey. It reminds me of being young and making tree houses. It is inspirational because he takes ordinary objects and makes them into something that can evoke emotion. When I see that tree, it makes me want to be there and read the books and sit by the trunk. The goal for my art is to have the same type of appeal, where people see it and want to be there.
- Mark Dion
I really liked some of Mark Dion's art and I really disliked some of it. Some of the pieces that aren't my favorite of his are the ones with trash in giant stacks. I don't find it visually appealing and it doesn't take very much artistic skill and is not very thoughtful in my opinion. I do like this particular piece because it looks like a tree that someone has turned into their home. There are books, baskets, pictures on the trunk, etc. and it feels very homey. It reminds me of being young and making tree houses. It is inspirational because he takes ordinary objects and makes them into something that can evoke emotion. When I see that tree, it makes me want to be there and read the books and sit by the trunk. The goal for my art is to have the same type of appeal, where people see it and want to be there.