A Thought.

1.        Trauma leaves scars.
2.      .   Healing takes both time and hard work.
3.          Joy is good for distracting oneself and is great for healing.
4.         Take some time to build something.
5.          Invite others to join.

Lygia Clark

I recently came across an artist named Lygia Clark.  (Here I have linked to my favorite of her works.)

She creates wonderful installation work.  The simplicity and elegance of which appears comes naturally.  The effortlessness of these organic metal works is wonderful.

Brian Winkenweder always told me, the most difficult thing is to make an effort filled piece, look effortless.  This is what Clark has done.

I am deeply inspired by her use of negative space, which becomes equally as important as the positive space.

Building Blocks

Part of the elegance the concept of the beeswax moulds has lacked is simplicity.  I want people to feel the experience and not have to ponder it for extreme lengths of time.  That is not to say I want a piece of work that will not grow, both in concept and aesthetics, with time.  I have needed to clarify, and solidify what I truly want from this work.

I have been creating these wooden forms for a while now...

Something I realized, is that when placed and stacked, these pieces make unique negative space.  This realization was solidified when I presented the multitude of wooden forms to fellow artists.

My friends started to stack the pieces in different ways.  Each person had a different way to stack these pieces.  They also helped each other when stacking them.  The marks I had carved into the pieces, along with the force of gravity,  allowed them to stack.


Then, something wonderful happened to the stack.  The stack started to tip, and everyone in the room held their breath.  And...



It fell.

The smile that appeared on Taryn's face was wonderful.  She laughed.  Everyone else did too.  And then...

The people worked together to make something new.

It was magical, truly magical.  This is what I want from my art.  Thus, a new direction unfolds itself to me.  I am excited to see where it takes me.

A Lifetime

Incident.

Hurt.

Heal.

Repeat.                Add time.

Repeat.                Add shame.

Repeat.                Add scar.     

Repeat…             for a lifetime.                                   

My work explores the healing process the body undertakes after years of scarring; scarring, which hibernates at the core of the body.

To heal the body needs to be strong. 

Thus, these forms are created from beeswax, as it is a natural foundation for the body’s healing process to start. 

Something Good Will Happen

Totem Shriver's two Intro to Studio classes, one of which I help in, finished their mural yesterday.  From different angeles the ovals look like circles. Also, from afar one can see the colors blur, but as one gets closer the forms show clear, and strong.  The bright and intricate imagery is toned down by the matte black.  The beautiful and intriguing imagery, in combination with the solid matte black, and matte crimson color heighten the experience.

Individually these pieces are strong.  

However, combined something good happens.

Nothing Lost

Two days ago I tried to pull out my beeswax mould from the plaster cast.  It did not go as planned.  As the talc could not stay on the vertical walls of the cast, the beeswax stuck.  I tried to heat the wax to help loosen it.  However, the mould lost its form.  In the end I took the beeswax out in chunks.  I plan to re-use it with my new plan of attack.

I will coat the mould in either Pam cooking spray or vaseline, or both, to help the mould come out of the form.  I will then layer a thin fabrics, known as cheese cloth, in order to help lift the mould out of the cast.  I will also mix nylon threads into the wax, in order to strengthen and bind the wax.

I will practice all of this on a smaller scale until I reach the perfect combination of these things.  Nothing is lost.  Information is gained!

The Day Before...

This was the day before I will leverage my beeswax forms out of the plaster moulds.  I have made the beeswax thick enough so that, in theory, they will not break.  However, I made them thin enough to show, with proper lighting, the shadow of what lies within.

As the wax cooled the multitude of layers resulted in a ragged look.  To smooth this I heated the wax up with a heat gun and burnished it with the backside of a spoon.

The effect it made was wonderful!  I am excited and nervous to take the wax out tomorrow!