Encaustic sculpture, (5.5 x 8 x 6 in), pedestal piece
Materials: encaustic medium, photograph, textile, wire, waxed linen thread, powdered pigment
Emptying vegetable and fruit rinds into a well-tended compost pile of a friend, I discovered this vibrant beauty of a plant growing directly out of the middle of the compost. Photographing it and layering it with many coats of fused beeswax, I cut out its shape and carved each seed until I was left with the papery outer leaves; seeming to need grounding, I wrapped them to create a supportive, safe structure for this newly emerged being.
Making the stitches visible has become an important part of my process, deliberately showing what holds the pieces together. My career as a social worker lent years of watching others hide the very things that made them strong. As I have evolved my process of creating these sculptures, I realized that much of my early sculptural process hid how the integrity was achieved. A strong parallel appeared as to how we present ourselves out in society—trying to keep what holds us together below the surface. Rather than hiding the hard work that goes into keeping ourselves together, we have the opportunity to own that vital part of our survival and blooming.
Encaustic sculpture, (5.5 x 8 x 6 in), pedestal piece
Materials: encaustic medium, photograph, textile, wire, waxed linen thread, powdered pigment
Emptying vegetable and fruit rinds into a well-tended compost pile of a friend, I discovered this vibrant beauty of a plant growing directly out of the middle of the compost. Photographing it and layering it with many coats of fused beeswax, I cut out its shape and carved each seed until I was left with the papery outer leaves; seeming to need grounding, I wrapped them to create a supportive, safe structure for this newly emerged being.
Making the stitches visible has become an important part of my process, deliberately showing what holds the pieces together. My career as a social worker lent years of watching others hide the very things that made them strong. As I have evolved my process of creating these sculptures, I realized that much of my early sculptural process hid how the integrity was achieved. A strong parallel appeared as to how we present ourselves out in society—trying to keep what holds us together below the surface. Rather than hiding the hard work that goes into keeping ourselves together, we have the opportunity to own that vital part of our survival and blooming.
