New stories from the shards of Robert Strathy (17 photos + 1 video)
The art object must be complete. But if you have the ability to look deeper, then even from fragments you can create something whole and beautiful. 
Artist Rob Strathy's Fragments series is a stunning result of the restoration of broken objects. Strati's series was inspired by a broken plate that belonged to his late mother-in-law. When the plate broke in 2020, Strati wondered what to do with it. He didn’t want to throw it away, but he also understood that it could no longer be repaired. For months, the broken plate sat on his kitchen table, awaiting a solution. As Strati walked by, he began to think about what stories could be told beyond the confines of the broken piece. 
Robert Strathy
Eventually, the broken plate ended up in Strati's studio, where it lay on an empty piece of paper for several weeks. One day, the artist picked up a pen and began working on his Fragments series, which explores the possibilities of broken things and the stories that can emerge from them. As Strati himself said, the broken plate inspired him to think about “the stories that can be told beyond the boundaries of a broken object.” Using pen and paper, Strati repairs broken plates and transforms them into works of art that are as beautiful as they are moving.
Strati talks about the creative process as follows:
If we talk about inspiration, I usually find a damaged or unusable piece of porcelain and from its fragments I assemble a composition, based on which I begin to draw what my imagination sees in the missing space. I often use motifs from the original plate. Sometimes people give me broken items, and I also search the Internet for damaged or defective items.
Work on one piece can take about two months. This is a long process consisting of various stages of drawing, mounting paper and pieces, photographing the work and creating a frame. Drawing takes up most of my time because I like to take breaks and come back to work with fresh eyes and see things in a new way. 
