Archive for 2010
nancy calef’s peoplescapes
Multi-media artist Nancy Calef takes two dimensional art to the third dimension by slashing the plane of painted canvas and adding sculpture and applied objects.
Out To Lunch, oil, sculpture, fabric, paper, found objects on canvas, 30″ x 40″
Sculpting high relief faces and other details on her Peoplescapes allows Calef to literally add depth to the characters she paints as she addresses cultural, political and spiritual issues facing society today. The last image on this post gives you an idea of scale – I wonder if she is using polymer clay or an air dry clay for the sculpts?
Check, Please, oil, sculpture, fabric, found objects, jewelry on canvas 36″ x 36″
“By juxtaposing people in recognizable places and situations, each painting weaves together a story about contemporary life, filled with layers of detail, symbolism and humor.” Nancy Calef
Live Show, oil, sculpture, fabric, found objects, leather on canvas 24″ x 36″
Read an interview with the artist on The Art List
bèatrice coron: the whole nine yards
It is difficult to pin down a description for Bèatrice Coron - book artist, paper cutter, conceptual artist, sculptor and inventor are all words that come to mind. Coron’s work spans micro and macro as she invents a situation, a city, or a world through her meticulous silhouette paper cuttings.
Invisible Cities, cut Tyvek, 9 yards long (click image to see it large)
The scale of the paper cuttings (she uses Tyvek for its durability) is almost impossible to capture in pictures – you really have to see them in person or look closely at the many detail pictures on her website of the many different parts of each cutting. The work is stunning not just because of the intricacy of the cuts, but the ideas and stories that she develops through these silhouettes.
Invisible Cities, detail (click image to learn more about this papercutting)
“My “Invisible Cities” are three nine-yard long papercuttings completed in 2008. I cut the three layers together, then separately. While the skylines are similar, the papercuttings show different versions of a world in transition. The “whole nine yards” format requires viewers to discover the territories as in an atlas, where every place is connected.” Bèatrice Coron
Heavens , cut Tyvek
(part of an installation titled “Hells and Heavens” – see more about this piece below)
“My silhouettes are a language I have developed over the years; my point of view is both detailed and monumental. Cutting from a single piece of material, the profusion of individual stories creates a coherent universe.” Bèatrice Coron
Heavens, detail
“In my graphic style, windows are used not to see out but in, placing the spectator in an outsider/insider situation. Shadows, reminiscent of film noir and voyeurism, leaves room for multiple interpretations.” Bèatrice Coron
This 2 minute video was shot by the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), where Coron’s “Heavens and Hells” is part of the exhibition “Slash: Paper Under the Knife” (until April 4, 2010). She cut the piece during a three-week residency at the museum last year and in the video she is shown cutting part of the Tyvek installation as she talks about the meaning behind the work. There is also a mind boggling time-lapse sequence of the work. More about “Heavens and Hells” here.
ulli kaiser’s dramatic beaded and silver jewelry
Gemstones, vintage beads and silver add drama and color to Ulli Kaiser’s contemporary jewelry. The artist, who is influenced by an interest in bookbinding, Asian jewelry and textile techniques, taught herself bead crochet and recently added silver elements to the designs – a move that opened new opportunities to combine color, shape and technique.
Born and raised in Austria, Kaiser spent many years in Hong Kong after college, eventually settling in England where she maintains a studio. Dramatic. Bold. Dynamic.
jenny ford: textile sculptor
With an interest in costume detail from Medevial and Elizabethian times, sculptor Jenny Ford often uses those details as a starting point for her sculptures. The ‘elongated point of a poulaine’ or a ‘precisely pleated ruff’ become beginnings for the organic, abstract forms she creates using hand-dyed silk velvet, organza and found objects.
Spires
hand dyed metallic organza, cable ties, threads, velvet
Twist
hand dyed silk/viscose velvet & metallic organza, silk dupion, linen loom cord, electrical cable, copper pipe, threads, sprung wire
Yellow Pod
hand dyed silk/viscose velvet, & metallic organza, electrical cable, silk dupion, threads
Orange Form
hand dyed silk/viscose velvet & metallic organza, silk dupion, linen loom cord, threads
Trilogy in Blue
hand dyed silk/viscose velvet & metallic organza, linen loom cord, threads, electrical cable
patricia lemaire’s traces of life
Sculptor and jewelry artist Patricia Lemaire lets silver, nickel silver and ordinary materials like plants, bone and urchin quills tell her poetic narrative. The unconventional materials – fragile (plants), poor (bone) and misappropriated (urchin quills) – find new meaning as Lemaire uses them to express the “fragility of life and womanhood” in a collection of jewelry and sculptures.
Salutation, brooch
Salutation, detail
La Passion, sculpture
Brooch
Douxpiquants, brooch
Promenadebucolique, sculpture
“Diverting them from their usual context, they take a new direction. They take shape in unlikely juxtapositions, sometimes to the verge of collapse, calling or referring to an absent body, dreamed, fantasized. Traces of life, steeped in contradiction, oscillating between strength and weakness, attraction and repulsion, pain and stroke, sacrifice and offering.”
More of Lemaire’s work at Galerie-Orfeo
synergy 2, part 1: in pursuit of excellence – the evolution of a medium
I know you come to Daily Art Muse to be inspired by interesting, beautiful fine craft – my survey of handcrafted excellence – but indulge me as I reflect on some of what I absorbed at last week’s conference. I offer my thoughts as inspiration of a different sort. This essay is a call to action, not only to those working with polymer, but to all on a creative path.
The Conference
Synergy2 offered many things including a rich learning environment; a feast of vivid, well-executed art; an exciting, sophisticated conversation between passionate, intelligent, experienced master level artists and a variety of other equally passionate interested parties. At the end of this post you will find links to images of the work that was on display and further commentary from others about what resonated with them. Today I want to focus on one area of discussion that speakers touched on during the conference and that I believe is critical at this point in the history of the medium: The pursuit of excellence.
Jeff Dever, Nestled Repose, polymer clay, 2010 Niche Award Winner
The Commitment
Bruce Pepich joined the crowd of more than 250 people as both a guest speaker and a panel participant. As Executive Director and Curator of Collections for the Racine Art Museum (RAM), Pepich has assembled one of the most significant contemporary craft collections in the nation. Elise Winters, who has persevered in her efforts to elevate polymer as a credible art medium, describes the relationship with RAM, explaining that “Bruce is currently planning a major museum exhibition complete with hardcover catalog to accompany the establishment of a permanent collection of polymer art at RAM. When his vision is realized, RAM will become the national center for the elevation, exhibition, and academic study of our chosen artistic medium.”
Elise Winters, Red Cascade RUFFLE Neckpiece, polymer clay
Winters and Pepich make a formidable team and we should be deeply grateful for this level of commitment from Winters, the Racine Art Museum and several other museums who have followed Pepich’s lead, acquiring smaller collections of polymer art for their permanent collections. It is indicative of just how far the medium has come in a relatively short period of time, but read on – we have an obligation to ourselves, to RAM, to the medium – we still have work to do.
Bruce Pepich, Rachel Carren, Kathleen Dustin
The Lesson
Pepich compared polymer’s journey with another medium that shared a similar journey as it sought its rightful place in the world of fine craft. The glass art movement was, at one point in its history, where we are today. Pepich talked about the undeniable fact that the glass art movement’s successful evolution has culminated in an important body of “competent, respected work that has broken boundaries” in the fine craft world. He went on to say that it is time for us to “think much broader than the medium”; time to “pull as many resources and references as possible outside of the techniques.” What I heard is that if we want to be taken seriously, we must first take ourselves seriously and rise to the challenges that lie ahead.
The Challenge (maybe two…)
Pepich boldly challenged us, saying “Don’t be afraid of excellence.” A glorious challenge, perhaps matched only by Kathleen Dustin’s when she asked the polymer artists present to consider making a museum quality piece as a way of elevating their own work and assisting the medium on its journey. Dustin was ultimately encouraging artists who are using this medium to think differently about their work; to think bigger than the medium; to think on a higher level – reminding us that it’s not just about selling.
A valuable conversation, but these challenges raise some questions: How do we begin the process of thinking bigger than the medium? How does one go about making work that is museum quality? And heck, isn’t the pursuit of excellence SCARY?
Kathleen Dustin, Nature Fix, polymer clay
3’h x 3’w x 9”d [yes, you read that right, each pod is 3 FEET high]
The Example
This brings me back to Pepich’s reference to glass art. As I listened to him speak I was reminded of an artist who was part of that important journey many years ago. Paul Stankard is one of the world’s master glass artists and “a member of the pioneering generation of glass artists in America.” He was both witness to, and a participant in, the history of the studio glass movement. In his book, No Green Berries or Leaves, he writes about the importance of seeing and experiencing great works of art if one hopes to make good art. A champion of commitment, exposure to great art, practice and perseverance, Paul is passionate about the necessity of growing in artistic maturity and his views on the long-term value of a focused education and how one achieves excellence in art making are compelling and worth noting – regardless of your chosen medium.
Paul Stankard, Mountain Laurel Bouquet Orb,
flameworked elements encapsulated in clear glass
“Excellence transcends categories and whether a piece is glass sculpture in the fine arts tradition, a murrini, a marble, a goblet, a paperweight or a bead, if one’s work is personal and is made well, it will be respected by informed art enthusiasts and other artists.” Paul Stankard
The Formula
Bruce Pepich challenged us, asking us to put aside our fear of excellence and I think Paul Stankard, who has been in pursuit of excellence in glass art for almost 50 years, has a valid formula that can assist us as we move forward. The pursuit of excellence requires a commitment of time, effort and resources. Many people think the artists who rise to the top do so because they have talent, and I agree with Jeff Dever’s theory that “90% of talent is seat time and sweat equity.” However, I maintain that first you must move away from the familiarity and comfort of your ’seat’ and educate yourself about Art with a capital A and Craft with a capital C.
You are reading Daily Art Muse, which has become a rich, global resource for examples of handcrafted excellence accessed by art students, makers and collectors, so you have some understanding of what I mean. Paul Stankard helps his students (and anyone who is serious about making good art) mature as artists by encouraging them to develop an informed artistic vocabulary. His message is clear: Study art in museums, galleries, art history classes, lectures. Become a student of nature, one of the most powerful sources of inspiration for artists. Consider pursuing graduate level education in art. Maintain a steady, consistent reaching and stretching outside of your artistic comfort zone. Continue regular practice and experimentation with your medium. Marry all of this to your voice, your message, your expression and you will be well on your way to creating art that is authentic and substantive. If you follow this formula, you benefit, your work benefits, your medium benefits and the larger community benefits. And perhaps, somewhere along the way, you might even make that museum quality piece.
Synergy Sound Bytes
“Talent is 90% seat time and sweat equity” Jeff Dever
“We have matured to the point that we know we need master level work, we need to promote master level work.” Kathleen Dustin, artist
“A master is somebody who is using the medium as a form of self expression and not only has great skill, but also has something to say.” Rachel Carren, Art Historian, Ph.D. (Art History)
“This is a golden moment in the history of polymer clay and NOW is the time.” Jeff Dever, artist
“Researching and documenting the history of polymer clay creates validation and credibility.” Bruce Pepich, Executive Director and Curator, Racine Art Museum
“Fine artists have a voice – the material is transparent.” Jeff Dever
More
For more about Bruce Pepich, read Woody Rudin’s article about the man, the curator, the Superhero.
Read my review of Paul Stankard’s book for more sage advice from a master.
It’s not too late to make a donation to the RAM collection. Here’s the link.
Cynthia Tinapple shares thoughts and many images from Synergy2 – here is a collection of posts – click on each one to see the images and to discover links to thoughts from other attendees.
Next week: Synergy2, Part 2 from DaMuse.
luke jerram: glass microbiology
I picked up a virus while at the Synergy conference, so I’m laying low and studying Luke Jerram’s glass sculptures of deadly viruses which explore the “tension between the artworks’ beauty, what they represent and their impact on humanity.”
E.coli, blown glass
E.coli detail
The transparent glass sculptures “were created to contemplate the global impact of each disease and to consider how the artificial colouring of scientific imagery affects our understanding of phenomena.” Jerram, a conceptual artist, consults and collaborates with scientists, engineers and artists to actualize each idea.
Jerram and the sculptures
Smallpox, blown glass
He worked with virologists from the University of Bristol as he developed the idea for the sculptures, which are one million times larger than the actual virus, and collaborated with glassblowers Kim George, Brian Jones and Norman Veitch, who pushed the boundaries of glassblowing to create the delicate specimens.
Swine Flu, detail
The series is a reflection of my interest in how images of phenomena are represented and presented to the public. I’m colour blind and this has given me a natural interest in exploring the edges of perception. Often images of viruses are taken in black and white on an electron microscope and then they are coloured artificially using Photoshop. Sometimes that will be for scientific purposes but other times it will be just to add emotional content or to make the image more attractive.
How many people believe viruses are brightly coloured? Are there any colour conventions and what kind of ‘presence’ do pseudocoloured images have that ‘naturally’ coloured specimens don’t? How does the choice of different colours affect their reception?
Read an interview with the artist here.
You can watch a viral sculpture being blown in the video below, and listen to Jerram talk about how they are made and why bringing the idea forward was important to him in this BBC clip.
emmy-gai-palmer’s glass and crocheted wire sculptures capture time and memory
I arrived home late last night and need some time to gather my thoughts. While I regroup, take a moment to look at these blown glass sculptures from England’s Emmy Gai Palmer. Metal inclusions in the glass draw you in and ignite your curiosity. The ‘Del Mar’ series was inspired by “translucent hues of seaweed caught up in waves and light through the sea.” Palmer, who encases layers of knitted and crocheted wire elements in the blown glass, goes on to explain that the “light projects through these pieces, creating wave like shadows.”
Large Del Mar, two layers of knitted wire encased in blown glass, 8″ x7″
“To produce the mesh inclusions I utilize hand Crochet and knitting techniques that were passed on through the women in my family from generation to generation. The textile element is integral to my work, the glass and knitted wire work together in harmony, complimenting and emphasizing each other’s qualities.”
Small Apricot Del Mar, knitted wire encased in blown glass, 3 1/2″ x3″
Layers of knitted wire encased in blown glass, detail
Del Mar on the Beach
Upright Del Mar, knitted wire encased in blown glass, 6″ x7″
“In crochet the repeated stitches and individual actions that go towards the making of the object are visible in the finished piece; I see this as symbolic of how in life small actions can build up in to something larger. I try to capture these ‘small actions’ within my glass forms. Essentially my work is about human emotion; the need to capture time and memory.” Emmy Gai Palmer
keith lewis’ mica jewelry
Today is the second day of Dan Cormier’s The Cutting Edge Evolved workshop in Baltimore. Yesterday one of the things Dan demonstrated was a mica shift technique and he talked a bit about the mineral (mica) during the demonstration.
Mica and Pearl Bangle
Dan’s enthusiasm about mica reminded me of Keith Lewis, who I met last year at a show in New York. When I first saw the work I was immediately intrigued, in part because I’ve never seen anyone use mica the way he does. Lewis laminates sheets of the mineral to create the structure and insets pearls or other precious stones, applying 23k gold leaf to complete the shimmery surface.
Layered Amber Mica Pin, Black Pearl and Ruby
After a childhood spent living abroad in Europe and the Far East, Lewis earned a Master of Fine Arts in Goldsmithing from SUNY New Paltz during the tenure of Kurt Matzdorf and Bob Ebendorf and has been living and making jewelry in the Hudson River Valley since that time.
Redstripe Pendant
“In my work I explore the line between accident and control, manipulating the inherent qualities of natural materials. I contrast formal construction with serendipitous surface treatment such as my version of a very old Japanese patina; I heat copper to bright red, expose it to wood particles, and then plunge it into boiling water which creates an organic and unpredictable “Raku” effect. I strive to capture not only the beauty of the natural materials themselves, but the surprises that arise from working with them.” Keith Lewis
This afternoon I will head home and let it all sink in…the conference and Cormier’s workshop. Look for upcoming posts about both once I’ve had a chance to unpack my suitcase. See you soon!
torolf sauermann: evolution of genius
The conference wraps up tonight and I will stay on for a post conference workshop. While I finish up here, I have some homework for you. Torolf Sauermann is new to me. Dan Cormier referenced him in his Synergy seminar and there was a collective ‘ahhhh’ from the group. The work is full of undulating waves, geometric lines and patterns and…well, you tell me: What is the material? The process? Do you like it?
Torolf Sauermann (there are eleven pages in his gallery…take your time).
Video clip that shows the work from different angles.
The Synergy2 conference is fast paced and exciting and I will write about it more in depth after it is over, but if you are looking for pictures as the conference unfolds, Polymer Clay Daily has plenty of Synergy eye candy.
Be back soon!
