Susan Graham

Susan Graham

Susan Graham does sculptures mostly using wire and copper, and it mostly consists of animals. She uses a three dimensional drawing on a two dimensional surface and takes a single continuous strand of steel or copper wire and uses it as long as possible. Expression and gesture is important to each animal in her work.

In all of these animals you can see the gesture importance that she has in her work. Although it may not be on purpose, I really enjoyed the way they are displayed in a white room and the way the lighting works because it creates a shadow, and with the linear craziness, it makes the objects look almost blurry! I chose to show the giraffe because it is my favorite animal and also because I think the use of the neck with the wire and the fact that it is just one long wire makes her work look complicated and not easy. I think the birds also show incredible linear quality and I also love the way they are displayed as if they are flying. If animals were made of wire, this is what they would look like.

My Dad’s Gun Collection, 2002

Glazed porcelain

I really enjoy these pieces she created because of the object it portrays and the material that it is made out of. Guns are harsh and dangerous objects and they even look that way. The fact that these are made of something so fragile, and almost looked crocheted, is completely ironic. They look safe and even beautiful. The linear quality that the porcelain has here is exceptional and intriguing. The title to me does not make sense; I just feel that a man, a father, would not own these, and I understand that they are guns, but I do not see how it correlates with the softness of the transformed objects.

Kiki Smith

Kiki Smith is considered a modern feminist artists; her work usually involves women’s bodies. Usually themes of birth, regeneration, and animalistic statements are seen in her work.

Born, 2002

Bronze

This is a great example of Kiki Smith’s shocking and provocative work. The dear is giving birth to a grown woman. Both the dear and the woman are very idealized and majestic looking, and that gives me the feeling that birth is something beautiful and perfect in our world. Here she is linking and showing a connection between animals and humans. I think it maybe says that humans are animals in our purest and most truthful form. We are no better than those that are wild around us. I also think that the woman being bald is interesting; babies are hairless or near hairless when they are born and the fact that this is a grown woman makes one question why Smith decided to do this; I think it is just referring to the birthing process. This sculpture also shows her symbols of renewal and rebirth; in many cultures that is what the deer represents, and I think the woman being bald and full grown also shows this.

Virgin Mary , 1993

wax ,cheesecloth and wood

This figure, with hint from the title, clearly has religious implications that go along with it. I love the attention to detail in anatomy that Smith has paid attention to here. She also did this piece in a bronze cast. The life size element of this piece sort of sends chills down your spine, because it feels as if this think without skin that is so exposed is just living and breathing in front of you; but it brings up another question as to what if this Virgin Mary is dead. There are holes in her wrists and I am not sure if that is on purpose or not, but her son Jesus had those same holes, and maybe she died along with him. Her body is in a very peaceful feeling stance.

Pee Body, 1992.

Wax and 23 strands of glass beads

Smith usually confronts and shows things that are somewhat awkward things to talk about in society. I love this piece because she turns something that socially is not the prettiest thing, into beautiful glass beads. The person here is also in an awkward position and it is again, a woman with no hair. I think this piece also brings us back to birth.

Daisy Chain,1992

Steel chain with five cast bronze elements (numbered three in an edition of three)

I really like this piece because again it deals with the body theme that Smith always presents, and it also makes me feel very deflated. I think that this might be saying that our limbs are some of the most important things we have, or it could be opposite and say that without our inside we cannot support the rest of our body. The chain and the casted elements are very rustic and dirty feeling. I love how Kiki Smith makes you question so much and does not necessarily give you an answer. I think this piece is a good example of that.

Judy Pfaff

Judy Pfaff, born in London, England, makes incredible and very organic looking sculptures. She was one of the first to being doing installation art during the 70’s. She has even done work for the stages in theater productions. There is a sense of lightness about her sculptures. Her materials often involve steel, fiberglass, plaster, and natural elements.

Materello, 1992

Woven magnet wire, steel, blown glass

h: 95 x w: 125 x d: 75 in

This is a great example of the use of the materials that she uses in order to make them into organic shapes. There is an extreme amount of curvilinear quality of line in this piece. It is amazing to me that she can use things that are so industrial in nature and turn them into something so organic and natural. My eye seems to always end up in the middle circular object, and I would say that that is the emphasis and focal point from which the other elements emanate from. The almost zigzag shape that starts at the small yellow, natural, caged in element and traveling to the end of crazy lines, seems to defy the gravity of the space. All of the colors are quite natural except for the bright yellow, which I think is part of the blown glass material that she used. I think this extreme color brings our attention back to the hard figure of the steel and wire that seems to entrap the other organic elements.

“…all of the above”, 2007

Vine, steel, black foil, rope, string, UV light, spheres cast from cannon balls, foam board

44ft x 40ft room

The title “…all of the above” definitely helps create a sense for what this instillation is about. It’s almost as if the chaotic stuff in the top of the room is the ‘above’ of the bottom circular elements. There is a definite shift in quality of curvilinear lines that protrude from the ceiling. The vine that was used here was taken from her New York property have been stained with dye and draped across the ceiling as if it is snaking across.  The balls that are hanging from the ceiling make me feel as if the above is descending into the bellow and both are become a part of each other. I also feel that the steps of the white foam circles are trying to ascend in to all that is above. The colors in this space really work well together as the neutral white, black, and greys are offset and contrasted with by the bright blue of the UV light.

“Straw Into Gold”, 1990

Steel wire, glass and tin cans

 9 feet 6 inches x 9 feet 10 inches x 8 feet 4 inches

I chose to show this piece because it sort of shows her development as an artist because this is such an earlier piece. However, she is still playing with the idea of natural and industrial materials being formed into a very organic shape. The lines of the wire are again very curvilinear and show many different thicknesses and variations in the quality of line. I think the linear manner of her organic sculptures and instillations are somewhat unavoidable with the materials she works with. In this piece, I think that the title is necessary in order to see the meaning of this piece. The connotation of gold is represent here with the copper looking steel wire and it is almost as if something meaningless, the white part to the left that has more open spaces, has turned into something expensive and worth more in value, the right part that is dense and chaotic.

The next four are four different pieces with their own separate titles but are part of a piece called “Paper.”

“Nature does not knock”, 2009

91x91 inches

This one is interesting when you take the title into mind. Nature itself does not seem to knock to ask if it is okay if she comes into our life, she just so happens to come whenever she pleases whether it’s beautiful or not. And I think this piece from paper delivers that message. There is impeccable attention to detail and colors on this piece that she created using paper.

“The thing with feathers”, 2009

96x96 inches

This piece of her Paper work is really pleasing to my eye. The soft, pastel colors of these pieces of paper leave the white feathers to be found. It is still organic in nature which is still true to who Pfaff is.

“Konya”, 2008

94 1/2 x 94 1/2 inches

This piece seems to be an afterthought of the previous; that bright red splotch in the left hand side of the picture frame in the previous piece is mimicked here all over. Again, the attention to color is beautiful here. She, also being true to herself, plays with the use of line and a 3D nature of the work. The almost ball like paper flowerish things towards the middle of the work are interesting and detailed; although they almost blend in, I think they are very powerful pieces. I do not know if I agree, though, with the random poppy just to the left of the yellow ball other than it works well with the color scheme and the nature effect.

"I dwell in possibility”, 2008

This one really plays into some of her recent installation pieces with the neutral and calm backgrounds playing into the harsh nature of the black organic mobs of line. This one is also pleasing to my own eye because of this contrast that she has created. There also seems to be an Asian inspiration in this work with the fan like figures, clouds, and weird black tree like lines and leaves. The dwelling she has done in the possibilities of what nature can be really shows who Pfaff is as an artist.

Claes Oldenburg

Claes Oldenburg is a contemporary artist who transforms everyday objects into the unusual. Often he does not change the actual look of it, but the function is clearly changed; the use of scale and texture in his work is the most interesting and thought provoking part of it. Please pardon my lack of dates and dimensions; it was quite difficult to find that information for some reason.

                                   “Shuttlecock”

When I saw this one, I knew I had to talk about it. One of my boyfriend and I’s favorite past times is playing badminton in the summer in my back yard. So this piece is dear to my heart. When I saw this, I immediately wanted it in my own yard. What I enjoy most about this piece is that it looks as if it is in motion because it would not land like that when it fell on the ground. It is almost as if two giants are playing in the town or me and my boyfriend are playing in a small little park where we are the giants. It was fun to relate myself to this piece. The fact that something so giant that is normally so small lets us see the detail and the structural thought that went in to making this sculpture.

"Soft Toilet", 1966

 wood, vinyl, kapok fibers, wire, and plexiglass on metal stand and painted wood base

This piece is one where he plays with texture and again sight. This looks as if a porcelain toilet has literally deflated. You can’t help but think of sitting on this to do your business! The white shine mimics the porcelain look and that is what is most deceiving.

“Screw Arch” 1984

Here is a piece where he has changed not only the scale, but the thing itself. Screws are not bent into this arch shape; they are meant to be straight and tough in order to hold something together etc. This is not like the nature around itself at all yet this beautiful archway makes it become a part of the nature around it. It is odd to see a screw this giant! You can’t help but think that there is a large screw driver that is in the hands of another giant person. There is incredible detail to the objects in each one of his pieces, and that is important when making a deceiving piece more impactful.

“Big Sweep”

This piece I think is easiest to see a purpose with in it. Not only are these pieces extremely giant compared to their normal everyday size, they are cleaning up giant pieces of trash. Maybe he is trying to show that our world is actually full of trash, and something large and powerful is going to have to clean it up someday. I don’t know if I necessarily agree with the color and look of the broom, because it makes it less real for me somehow.

“Soft Drum Set”

This soft drum set is similar to the one he did with the toilet, and he also done a bath, light switches, and more. This one also is close to my heart because I love to play music, not the drums, but the guitar and the piano. And when I think about someone playing any instrument that is droopy and soft, the music it was intended to make would no longer be made. It’s sad in a way.

Ann Porter

Ann Porter is a contemporary artist. She earned her BA in Portland Oregon and her MFA in sculpture at Washington State University, and she has taught at North Idaho College and Washington State University; I think it is important to note this because I am from Post Falls, Id which is extremely close to both WSU and NIC, and I really enjoy researching an artist that is in close proximities to my home.

Right now she is working with painted and fired stained glass, video monitors, altered video stills, and cast polychrome sculpture as her media. She confronts the communication that we as humans try to have with the natural world around us and the sort of domestication we feel we can have over any nature.

Preaching to the Birds (Grace)                                      Preaching to the Birds (Pearls)

Painted and Fired Stained Glass with Video               Painted and Fired Stained Glass with Video

24” x 15”                                                                            24” x 15”

Not only is her stained glass something of beauty in itself, but she has taken something so beautiful and well known for its messages, and turned it into something new. The faces in Grace and Pearls are communicating to the birds in the glass and in life. These pieces are part of her newest collection called Preaching to the Birds. She is confronting the ideas about human communication with nature itself. She said that her interest came from how different the stained glass and video was, but then found a way to relate them together in order to tell a story to her viewers. She enjoys that they both require light in order for its function to be seen and that both can relay a message to their viewers.  Messages between media, nature, and humans are something she confronts in this new work.  In Grace, the message is clear that the human is preaching to the birds about grace; grace is elegance and beauty of form or nature, and the fact that a human is trying to preach this to nature who already has a knack for grace is ironic and yet symbolic of what we as humans try to domesticate. Pearl can sometimes represent purity; I also think this is ironic for a human to be telling nature to be pure because if already is as pure as can be.  The linear and geometric qualities that encompass this work play into the video feel and the stained glass look.

Scratching Dog(red)                                                 Scratching Dog (white)

Polychrome, Cast Hydrostone                                 Polychrome, Cast Hydrostone

Lifesize                                                                    Lifesize

These two pieces are from her new works called Twins. They incorporate a human baby with the body of a dog. Here she is again confronting human relation to nature. Dogs are the most domestic animals we have in our human lives, and I would say most people treat them and feel that they are their children and a part of their family. What Porter has done here is taking that idea to the extreme. When one first looks at these, it does look quite creepy; the head is truly molded in such a way to look as if it is a real part of the dog. The necks are even human form and the shoulders and arms are quite human yet dog like when you look at them from the paw up. Giving these ‘babies’ the dog like characteristics, like scratching and itch with your back leg which is a paw, really makes these two become one. Porter feels she has linked a mutual pursuit of household and animal pleasures. Making twins from what a human knows best was very brilliant. And the fact that these are lifesize would make it even more of an impact when seen in person. This is a picture of her installation:

Lauren Fensterstock

Lauren Fensterstock was a critic and a curator before she went to school to get her MFA. Her work really encompasses and discusses the beauty of the world around us today.

                                                                          detail

Mound, 2010

paper, charcoal, plexi

14X12X5 ft.

Installation at Sienna Gallery, Lenox, MA, August - November 2010

This installation piece really speaks to some of the environmental issues going on today. The confrontation of something murky, black, harsh, and evil is combined with the natural world. To me it relates to the oil spill that happened in 2010 that has really affected the coast and beyond. Although paper materials were used, this piece is visually heavy and thick. The black, although it may have been on accident, contrasts well in the white space of the installation. There is an extreme sense of darkness in her recent installation pieces. The details in the piece are clearly essential; they are very curvilinear and organic to even further emphasize the natural characteristics of the piece.



1, 5,6,7



A Third Nature, 2007
Paper and Charcoal Under Glass
10X10 in.

A Third Nature was done in 2007. Although I am assuming she had 1-7 or more of her pieces, I was only able to find 1, 5, 6, and 7. Here she again uses the black paper under glass; she says herself that she used inspirations from a painter named Claude Lorain: he used a black convex mirror to reflect landscapes. Although this is considered 3-D art, I feel that she wanted to represent these figures as a painting and give an experience to her viewers. She refers often to these pieces as a picturesque gardener; I think that in these black and harsh views of nature there is a sense of decay of the landscape and scenery view the viewer sees. All of the boxes are the same 10X10 size, and when placed in order it almost seems to tell that story of decay. The black and harsh color of these pieces really emphasize that. Every single one is different than the other yet still correlates. Her detail and attention to each curl in the paper makes these pieces very well crafted.

 Horizon/Versailles (detail), 2008

inlaid wall instillation

120 linear ft.

Approximately 5000 2mm cubic zironia inlaid into the walls of the Bowdoin College Museum of Art.

If she had just created one small line of these cubic zirconia inlaid into the walls, it would have sent a different message; but she went all out and did about 5000 of them that she individually laid into the walls. This came from her diamond collection in the Bowdoin College Museum of Art. These objects, first seen as diamonds, are something that the viewer longs for and objects of extreme desire. Seeing so many of them would question her motives. Here I am not quite sure what she is trying to say, but all of these little pieces inserted into the wall itself so precisely show the time and care that went into doing this installation; she may be addressing the extreme love and care that women and people have for this insignificant thing in life: diamonds have to be given to show love and more. Culturally these diamond like figures are very important today, and she may have been addressing this.

Diamond Drawing 4, 2005

gouache, wattercolor, charcoal

5X5 in.

I wanted to show this piece of Fensterstock ‘s because of the incredible deception that she has created. Trompe l'oeil is the deception that the viewer feels as if they could reach out and pull that object right off of the 2-D paper. I think her incredible use of the diamonds in her diamond installation pieces was simple but showed incredible talent.



Continuous Flutter #1-2005, Butterfly Tondo #5-2004, My First Maine Landscape-2004



This use of materials is first a little disturbing, but I feel it gives a good purpose to the butterflies. She says that the butterflies she has taken from science that was just going to discard of them. This beautiful creature is given a second chance to show its beauty in these pieces she has created. The colors are interesting and the patterns are unmistakably beautiful.

Michael de Broin

Michel de Broin is a contemporary artist who does sculptures. He uses non-traditional materials in order to create something that the viewer has to re-define.

Black Whole Conference, 2006

72 Chairs, 400cm in diameter

Michael de Broin has taken an everyday object and turned it into something that makes his audience question what it is. The construction of this project, completed in 2006, is extremely well constructed and methodical. Here, the instillation works extremely well because the black is such a great contrast against the white room. The sphere that is created was done by attaching only the chairs legs. It created a sort of pokey and dangerous looking exterior. It’s almost as if it is protecting itself. The extremely industrial and business like object becomes something much more organic here.

Great Encounter, 2008

Two refrigerators, plexiglass shape

These two refrigerators no longer serve their purpose in a random corner in a kitchen where they hold endless amounts of food and college kids’ sodas. A refrigerator is unable to function when the door is held open for long amounts of time; it would completely lose its cool temperature and no longer function as keeping foods cold and making them last. By opening these fridges and connecting them with something that will still keep the cold in, a true encounter has been made. A light fog has been made in the middle between the two. I also think it is intriguing that the light remains on because the door is open; it enhances the idea that when closed, the light is off. What goes on in there when the door is closed and we can’t see behind it?

Encircling, 2006

Asphalt, yellow paint, road sign, 14,80 x 21,90 m

There is extreme culture in road signs and roads when designing cities and teaching people how to drive. This public artwork changes our thoughts and makes our regular thought become irony. It is a never-ending roadway leading to nowhere. I think it is ingenious that he had a road sign created next to the real asphalt road. The road sign almost says it all. If you get on that road, you’ll never get off.

I really enjoy how Michael de Broin uses everyday feelings, thoughts, and objects to create something new for his viewer.