renee adams’ artificial reality in polymer clay and mixed media

Drawing inspiration from botanical images by 19th century biologist Ernst Haeckel, Renee Adams constructed her own imaginary hybrid species using polymer clay, glass, wood and acrylic paint. The Washington artist, who has an MFA in sculpture, strives to create work that “questions ideals of beauty and the way in which we manipulate nature and ourselves to attain it.” Adams uses flocking directly on  polymer clay (Bindybop, below), something I haven’t seen before. You can see more out-of-this-world sculpture on her website and from a recent exhibition at Swarm Gallery.

Crowned Polylyp, glass, polymer clay, wood, flocking, mixed media, 13”x5.5”x5.5”

Blowpod, wood, polymer clay, leather, seed pod, 6”x10”x7”

Gussy, polymer clay, acrylic paint, mixed media, 60”x10”x14”

Bindybop, polymer clay, shoe polish, flocking, 9”x4”x4”

Flinderspindle, polymer clay, shoe polish, leather, wood, map pins, 12”x7”x7”