Open Studio #2

The process of creating an open studio takes a long time.  There is a lot of contemplation that goes in to creating an installation of your best works.  With beeswax and shadow as my focus I created an installation/ open studio for my peers to experience.

I used a beeswax curtain as my entrance.

(Deatils)

Walking in to the curtain one was able to see shadows projected on the walls.  These shadows were made by placing two spotlights outside the curtain.  The effect created a warm shadow inside the space.

I left part of the curtain hanging to make a canopy.  This way people could walk beneath the canopy and see shadows on themselves.  I also placed cut outs on the canopy to create shadows when the viewer looked upwards.

The book I had created beforehand, along with various cut-outs also provided shadows on the wall.

Re-energizing

I find that the more I work on my beeswax work the more it calms me.  However, I also need some excitement.  For this project I used oil pastels on a 2 foot by 3 foot plank of wood.  I created blocks of color using rapid movements.  I laid the plank on a layer of sand.  I then created a circle with gravel of a different color.

To see the blocks of color I created a window out of a white piece of paper.  From the work with the beeswax I have learned how to cut out paper in a similar manner as the line work of my color blocking.  I cut out shapes and lines with a knife in order to create the finished piece.

I thoroughly enjoy this manner of working.  I love the rapid movements I needed to acquire in order to make this piece.  Between the rapid movements of knife on paper, or oil pastel on wood, I was forced to make quick choices.  

The beeswax work calms me but this work wakes me up.  I plan to work on both modes, to fully center myself. 

  

Cut-Outs

I have created an installation which I thoroughly enjoy.  I cut out shapes from a thick piece of white paper.

The finished shape takes form as a unique shape.

I then pair these finished stencils together.  With the proper lighting shadows form on the wall behind the shapes.  Some shapes are closer than others to the wall and the light source, creating variance in the clarity of the shadows.

In reviewing these cut outs with the help of my peers I found a way to create a continuity between this work and my beeswax work. 

I dip each cut out piece in beeswax.  With the addition of a second light source each cut out makes two shadows on opposing walls.

There is a certain beauty in mental state that comes from making these cut outs.  I decided to push the cut outs further by making an accordion book in the same style.  The book made beautiful shadows on the nearby wall.  It also added dimension to the cut outs in the initial state.

Overall I am very pleased with the form this display has taken.

Paper Arts

I am creating these hexagon shapes and my hive I am also using a knife and scissors to cut out paper for another piece I am making.  I am trying to keep a few pieces going at once, in efforts to not be in a rut.

I cut negative space into my paper, 140 pound watercolor paper, in an effort to create a shadow effect once on display.

I am not sure how these pieces will interact with my beeswax body of work.  However, I am excited to see where this paper path takes me.

Below are the finished results of hours of cutting paper.  I hope to put these together with paper cut outs made with black paper.  I also hope to integrate wood sculptures with dramatic shadows and twine into the piece.  The goal of this piece is to play with the shadows which each component can create.    

I Am In It With All My Heart.

I started to assemble my beeswax piece.  All of the components are coming together nicely.  I put the pieces I have thus far together the other night.    

The piece undulates in unique ways.  I have tried to stay true to the form of the piece.  I let it hang where it drops naturally.

I took a trip with professor and mentor Totem Shriver a few days after I hung up my piece.  We went to see a beekeeper and their hives.

They were beautiful.  Even though there was no beeswax to purchase, the hives were all incredible.

I am inspired by the natural shape of the hexagon and what it has to show and teach me.  I hope to do the hive justice in my work. 

I am excited to finish this work.

I Am Striving...

I am striving...  I am in a constant mode of striving and through this mode have developed the following pieces.

And I have gotten better at making these beeswax pieces.

They now look cleaner, more dynamic than ever before.

These pieces are made from embossing powder, beeswax and cans.

I am pleasantly surprised at how confident I am getting at manipulating the beeswax.

I Am Seeking.

The bee starts a task, finishes it, starts another task, finishes it, and so it goes on in a rhythmic fashion until every job is complete.  This is how I approached creating every component of this piece.  The process of sewing became meditative, and one stitch at a time, one task at a time, a hive began to form.  With the womb, the ideal safety place, in mind I have created this hive; a place of work, a place of rest, a place to feel.