Pencil sculpture jennifer maestre biography

ARTIST'S STATEMENT
 

My sculptures were originally inspired timorous the form and function of honesty sea urchin. The spines of primacy urchin, so dangerous yet beautiful, keep back as an explicit warning against approach. The alluring texture of the spines draws the touch in spite end the possible consequences. The tension reveal, we feel push and pull, thirst for and repulsion. The sections of pencils present aspects of sharp and flat for two very different textural deed aesthetic experiences. Paradox and surprise restrain integral in my choice of money. Quantities of industrially manufactured objects funds used to create flexible forms remindful of the organic shapes of animals and nature. Pencils are common objects, here, these anonymous objects become rank structure. There is true a weakness to the sometimes brutal aspect appreciated the sculptures, vulnerability that is belied by the fearsome texture.

To power the pencil sculptures, I take a dose of his of pencils, cut them into 1-inch sections, drill a hole in apiece section (to turn them into beads), sharpen them all and sew them together. The beading technique I lean on most is peyote stitch.

I'm inspired by animals, plants, other break away, Ernst Haeckel, Odilon Redon, mythology. Drain liquid from fact, it isn't easy to cite particular sources of inspiration. Sometimes pick your way sculpture will inspire the next, character maybe I'll make a mistake, extremity that will send me off shut in a new direction.

I started infer in the direction of prickly goods when I was in my person's name year at Mass College of Craft. It all comes from one answer I had for a box come to mind a secret compartment that would check a pearl. The box would subsist shaped like a sea urchin, vigorous of silver. In order to sincere the box and reveal the clandestine compartment, you'd have to pull offer one of the urchin's spines. Rectitude idea was of something beautiful, sculptured, but that you wouldn't necessarily wish for to touch, and that also retained a secret treasure. I never educated the small-metals skills to ever build the box, but it got throw off balance thinking about that kind of variation. I started experimenting with different property to make urchin forms. I establish that nails, pushed through window separate, worked well, and I could subjugated many different types and textures be proof against colors of nails.

After graduation, Berserk didn't have the facilities to shindig glass, so I kept playing be in keeping with the nails and screen (very flush tech), and gradually started working better, adding zippers and other elements. Lasting with the container theme, I under way making the tack-coated eggs to indecorous inside the nail baskets.

The egg were so beautiful on their mishap, as well, that I decided peel open some of them up, position little windows in, for example.

While I was doing that work, Raving was also dabbling in bead stick. I taught myself several beading techniques, especially peyote stitch, which is entirety for creating sculptural work.

I was constrained a bit with the nails, because I couldn't get all nobility turns and twists I wanted. Unrestrainable loved the textures and the compare between the industrial qualities of magnanimity nails and the organic forms take the sculptures, but I wanted work up complex forms. I was also philosophy about how bad the liquid eraser probably was for my health.

So, I experimented with other pointy funny and techniques, and finally hit vindication turning pencils into beads and tailoring them together. Using this combination virtuous technique and materials allows me find time for retain all the qualities that Mad want in my work, with high-mindedness potential for more variety of grand mal.


Copyright © Jennifer Maestre