Friday, October 28, 2011

Process



Working on the live 'Marrow' installation for the Stonehill College show 'Stitched: Nature Constructed'. The process for this artwork is unique to my others. My usual practice is to follow the lead of the material with my intuition as a copilot, without a predetermined image in mind. With this piece I have particular intentions for the outcome, requiring that I put different materials to the test.

For instance, which materials communicate with the change in scale? Not necessarily the same materials as with the smaller pieces. Also, this tree is live, not a petrified driftwood castoff with existing nooks and crannies to punch into. This shifts the concept to relating to life more than decay bringing up questions of message, shape and color.

My studio, or laboratory, is turned upside down with all the experiments. Looking forward to the research coming together next week when we install. Still a mystery as to the final outcome... embracing my role as copilot after all.



Monday, October 24, 2011

Arlington Lights




Love the window at night. Drama with the lighting and reflections from the street... a whole other dimension!

Synthesis and Ghost, installed in the storefront of 12 Medford Street Arlington until November 18. A project of Arlington Public Art directed by Adria Arch.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Materializing



Yesterday I began an outdoor installation at Stonehill College, a commission for the students of a curatorial class who are organizing a show at the Cushing Martin Gallery this November.

I'm thrilled to be one of the artists that will be participating with four of my works, Undercurrent, Marrow, Transplant and a new site specific outdoor installation to be done exclusively for the show.

Now I'm deep in thought with what I love most... engineering, designing and experimenting with materials. My plan is to create the same aesthetic of the wool and driftwood of the smaller Marrow Series but with a large 'live' tree and outside in the elements. This means thinking about waterproofing, noninvasive armatures to attach to the tree, scale of design etc.

The photos below show chicken wire arranged around the trunk. They map out the general placement of the marrow pieces and will hold them securely without harming the tree. This weekend I'll be testing waterproofing sprays for efficacy and their effects on wool and fiber. How this structure changes with the weather will be a study in itself and it is not meant to be permanent, but it does need to sustain a month of late autumn weather!

Stitched: Nature Constructed
Cushing Martin Gallery, Stonehill College
November 7 - December 12

Reception November 18, 6-8 pm

I'll be documenting the process over the next two weeks. Please check in often to see how it's coming along!






Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Synthesis



....a complex whole formed by combining. This best describes the process of my latest project, created for Arlington Public Art's Window Project directed by Adria Arch. I decided to use this opportunity to work on a new direction that has been teasing me for some time.

Motif (working title) is fabricated in a manner similar to traditional Irish Crochet where modular designs are crocheted over a cord with fine thread and then assembled. Invented in the mid 1800's as a way of enabling families and communities to survive the potato famine, it was a defining moment in Irish history, signifying their faith in the possibility of transcendent human achievement.

My motifs magnify and morph the traditionally delicate designs into large bendable shapes. Crocheted from recycled women's clothing over a fat upholstery cord and 14 gauge wire they become abstractions of primordial cellular forms. Painted on its exterior to reference the cotton ecru thread of the original craft, one can glimpse inside to view its true colors. And just like a cell membrane, each stitch works as a gatekeeper on the surface simultaneously preserving the self and expressing identity. 

Below is a photo of traditional irish crochet lace motif.... And below that you'll find images documenting my process... still a work in progress as it approaches its installation next week. More to come then.