From time to time I use rivets, acorn nuts or bolts as a repeating design element. I suspect that this comes from a deep love of form and texture. Not unlike music, these “notes” add a subtle element that unites a work.
I would like to add these elements in an exact way and yet, they never really line up perfectly. Clearly my skill only takes me so far. I can be disappointed at my limitations but then, I realize that this inexactness adds a kind of warmth to my work. It humanizes it. If I made “perfect” elements, a kind of coldness would set in. This is what separates a human quality from a machine-like quality. This could, of course, just be a rationalization but I can’t dispute the warm quality of these Foundlings.
An art teacher once told me that the difference between a perfect circle and how you draw it, is called style.