the Art of Preston Singletary
"....with each of these works, Singletary addresses the idea of metamorphosis, making new aesthetic connections by employing shared iconography—of man emerging from or transforming into the creature—as seen in Eagle Boy (2012) and Raven Becomes Human (2012). In A Wise Old Man (2012), Singletary enlivens the classic oystercatcher rattle with sculptural elements and imparts a surge of dramatic tension between the bird’s breast, from which Raven’s visage emanates, and its back, upon which a shaman lies akimbo, clutching the horns of a mountain goat. The fragmented lines of communication imply the stature of a man-spirit transitioning to the afterlife while representing the artist’s own interpretive departure."
