Bill Woodrow and Sidonie Villere

Rack - 2000

Canvas, wax, bronze, gold leaf, wire, glass. 

63 x 15 x 15 cm

I am incubating a new series. Part of my process is to look at a lot of images from other artists with similar aesthetics, or who are working in similar materials. I have been envisioning pieces in wax and gold leaf, with line drawing and string embedded. I am curious to see what actually comes from all this ruminating. In the mean time here are some images of work from two artists who are inspiring me:

Bill Woodrow is a british sculptor, printmaker, and drawer. His pieces remind me quite a  bit of the work of my friend Shannon. Her interest of honey comb shapes, books, sticks, and all things bee, line right up with these beautiful pieces.

Cell - 1997

Steel, wood, fabric, wire, wax, glass, paint. 

260 x 216 x 155 cm

Honey Flower - 1997

Bronze, paint. 

94 x 44 x 20 cm

Closed Book - 2005

Mixed Media

165 x 67 x 64 cm

Open Book - 2005

Bronze, paint. 

160 x 73 x 79 cm

Winged Box 2 - 1998

Wood, wax, steel, canvas. 

86 x 60 x 40 cm

Sidonie Villere lives and works in New Orleans. She also teaches, curates, and is involved in some large sculpture projects. I love her use of texture and space, and her quiet palette.  

Untitled Triptych

Acrylic, gauze, wax, plaster, liquid gold, leaf, string, nails on plywood.

25 x 36 x 2 "

Untitled

Mixed Media

41 x 30 x 2 "

Untitled

Mixed Media

42 x 61 x 2 "

Untitled

Acrylic, gauze, nails, wax, oil, pencil, war, paper, mirror, wire, muslin on plywood. 

24 x 24 x 3 "

Untitled

Gauze, metal wire, canvas, wax, oil, liquid gold on gesso board. 

18 x 24 x 2 "

Be inspired, friends!

New work from the Guild and things to come

 

I was able to squeeze one day in the studio, making my own work, while I was out at the guild. I wish I had been able to stay a whole week, working every day, getting settled into a good rhythm. But, I am happy with what came as a result of that one solid day. Working next to Shannon was a great reminder of the invaluable resource of critique. She encouraged me to push farther, and edit tighter than I would have on my own. Thanks Shannon!

I have been thinking about all the cells that make up our world. I wanted to find a way to celebrate their shape as well as their function as carriers of all manner of information. The shapes are layered with pieces of book pages. I experimented with carving down into, and building up areas in the wax. I am excited to keep exploring this kind of shape making and revealing in my next pieces.

Detail

Since I came home I have been working on, of all things, sheep! I was asked to make a piece that included sheep and it was such a challenge to figure out how to make them look elegant. I have been taking pictures of lambs this week while spending time on a ranch in Texas, so I am ready to make a whole series of sheep pieces this summer. 

This piece is the kind of thing I will be selling in an etsy shop I am opening this summer. My goal is to provide a source for beautiful devotional objects. I think the embedding, carving, and layering techniques used in the encaustic tradition lend themselves so well to this kind of work. My hope is that the sale of this type of object would support me in the making of art pieces that don't appeal to such a broad audience, and might not be as affordable. I'll have more news on this endeavor in the next few weeks!