Looking at Christine Kaiser’s work (at the ACC show) I somehow felt like I was getting a glimpse of the artist’s psyche and imagination road map.
Let Go
8″ x 7.25″ x 3″
painted wood, pencil drawing graphite, lid of antique cigar box
Each of the sculptures begins as a plank of Basswood or Poplar that is cut, stacked, shaped and carved using a bandsaw, rotary tool and sander.
New Dress
6″ x 3.5″ x 2″
painted wood, graphite, pencil drawing
Kaiser then paints the wood shapes, adding elements of mixed media and the final touch - simple graphite drawings that tug at some familiar feeling held inside long ago.
Fly Away
“Part of their charm is the tension between sweet and not so sweet. I use elements of cartoons, animation stills, dreams , and other references to weave my stories. To root the pieces in the world I use a fairly classical visual aesthetic.” Christine Kaiser
Don’t Tell
9″ x 6.75″ x 2.25″
painted wood, pencil drawing, wire, graphite, antique cigar box bottom
It’s Just Like Going To Sleep
See more of Kaiser’s sculptures here.
Read an article about the artist here (and learn about the kind of art she made early on in her career).
Tim Tate is working on a fascinating new series based on the old circus sideshow. Recently I had the opportunity to watch as Tim assembled the latest sculpture in the series – A Man With No Heart. Using blown and cast glass components in addition to video, Tate was both the conductor and the orchestra as he brought this piece to the stage.
A Man With No Heart
from the series 21st Century Sideshowpicture: Pete Duvall
In the slideshow below I share a glimpse of Tate’s mad-scientist-like worktable where blown glass domes and cast glass elements are vying for space with video screens and electronics components. And that’s just the beginning – the rest of the images are highlights of the assembly process. The ghastly green glow, both on Tim’s face and on the cast glass man with no heart, comes from his special UV lamp. Don’t mistake the artist for the art – in fact it didn’t take me long to realize that Tim Tate, unlike his latest sculpture, is The Man With The Big Heart. Enjoy.
This slideshow is best viewed in full screen mode.
For those of you reading this post in your email, click here to view the slideshow.
A Note. . .
I am delighted to announce that we have raised enough money to extend my stay through the end of March – a testament to the generosity of DAM’s readers and to your love of Tim Tate’s work. Many, many thanks to all of you! (If you purchased a heart, they are shipping today – who knew that the post office closed so early on Saturday?).
Thanks also to everyone who wrote to me privately or commented on Friday’s post to tell me what you want to see and hear about this apprenticeship. I am working on several of the things that you suggested and you will be hearing from the artist’s themselves soon. In addition, much of the experience will be processed when I get back home – I’ve taken over 6,000 photos, recorded quite a bit of audio and written copious notes, which means that I will be reporting and posting about this part of my journey for several weeks after my return home. Possibilities for the next apprenticeship are already forming, but I’ll save that for another day!
I’m running around today, recording some audio, interviewing a few of the artists, a dinner engagement this evening and then preparing for a busy weekend ahead.
Retro phone in the house where I am staying for the DC internship.
More about this space at a later date.
Instead of my usual post, I want to ask my oh-so-supportive readers two questions:
1. Has my apprenticeship experience (so far) inspired you to do something similar; look at art-making differently; deepened your appreciation for the value of art?
2. What do you want to see/read/hear about from my time here in DC?
Big or small, complex or simple, good or bad – all feedback is greatly appreciated. Please leave a comment – it will help me as I move forward with the project. Thanks and have a great weekend!
Here I am getting a workout yesterday at Ani Kasten’s studio. Who needs the gym or the latest exercise trend when you’ve got clay?
I’m wedging the clay for Ani’s new project and incorporating dry, hand-dug local clay into the wet clay as I wedge.
Working it!
I wasn’t even close to finished yet when Ani snapped this picture. I still had another bag of clay to wedge after this one. My muscles are screaming at me today, but it’s all good!
Last week I was able to spend a little time with my dear friend Ronna Weltman while she was in Baltimore for a teaching gig. Ronna and I walked the floor of the ACC show before heading to dinner for some girl talk.
The Keeper
For me, one of the standouts at the show was Bruce Chapin.. His wood sculptures and reliquary are impressive. You really do have to see these beauties up close and personal. With doors that open to reveal objects and secret compartments, each piece has a story and Chapin was eloquent and charming as he explained the stories to us.
The Keeper, open
There are no dimensions on his website for the sculptures, but I saw The Keeper at the show. It is large (maybe 3/4 life size?) and hangs on the wall – you can’t tell that from these images. I just wanted to keep touching the white pickets on the doors (which I did) and loved opening them to find the sculptures within.
The Philosopher’s Journey
Click the image to see a movie of this piece in action.
The movie is slow in the beginning, but if you wait for it – you get to see God dance.
I will be sharing more images from my visit to the ACC show soon.
