Yvette Kaiser Smith

Can you explain ‘simply’ the technique you use to produce your sculptures?

Fiberglass as a finished product is a fibre reinforced plastic. Fiberglass as raw material is a fibre made from spun glass. It is white, opaque, pliable, and behaves as a heavy cloth. It is commonly combined with polyester resin, a liquid plastic. Normally, the resin wetted cloth is laid into or over a mould until the material cures into a hard, translucent surface.

I start with a form of fiberglass called continuous roving or gun roving. Gun roving comes as a large spool of clustered continuous strands of fiberglass. I crochet the roving with a regular crochet hook to create my own cloth. The “J” hook is just big enough to pick up the mass of the roving. Using a variety of traditional stitches, I crochet flat geometric shapes: circles, rectangles, squares. For the next step, I use a hard finish polyester resin. This is polyester resin with 5% styrene wax. As the resin cures, the wax comes to the surface for a hard finish which is sand able, and eliminates the perpetual surface tack and smell of regular laminating resin. I do not lay my wet fiberglass into a mould; rather I use gravity to create simple geometric shapes. When laid into a mould, the crocheted cloth loses its dimensionality, it becomes flat and ugly.

Summary of process basics:

• • Commit to a number sequence
• • Work out form and colour in drawings
• • Crochet flat shapes
• • Build a jig for draping and forming
• • Pour out the resin, add colour in form of dyes, add hardener, apply resin to crocheted cloth with a 1” or 2” brush
• • Hang resin wetted cloth on jig and recover shape by gently pulling out the edges until it starts to set (between 15 – 30 minutes)
• • Let it harden for 24 hours
• • Cut the edges and make cuts to correct form
• • Sand body and edges of forms
• • Recoat with coloured resin, usually 2 or 3 times
• • Sand down drips
• • Touch up sanded areas with more resin.

If a work is made from several units that are fused together, I now have to:

• • Figure out how to make them fit and temporarily hold together in proper place with cable ties without going insane
• • Sew parts together with the roving
• • Apply resin
• • Sand
• • Recoat with resin
• • Polish with ArmorAll vinyl upholstery cleaner using a 1” brush.

Can you expand on the mathematics involved in your work and how this came about?

It started with Tim, my husband. Tim is a mathematician by education and a complete math nerd to the core. While driving me from install to install, during long highway trips, Tim used to amuse himself by working out the square root of the multi-digit numbers on the back of big trucks or by trying to deduce whether these long numbers were primes. Or while on vacation or visiting family in the country, Tim would drop to his knees, while all others walked on, to count the leaves on plant life new to his eyes; that number was always a prime. His constant curiosities made me see that math is a part of life, all of life, and cannot be separated from “identity” dialogue.

My reference to math started slowly with an obsession with prime numbers. Utilizing a unique number that is only divisible by 1 and itself was a natural addition as a conceptual tool within identity narratives. Whenever possible I pushed the number of components, or rows, or columns to the nearest prime number. I was convinced, and still am, that repeating nature in this way, that is, fixate on primes, produces a more balanced visual experience.

In 2001, I was working on a show for a university gallery. A wall sized piece takes 3 hard months to produce. I had 2 weeks left and one more large wall to fill. I crocheted 80 plus 10” circles and had the idea to make them ‘the same but different’ in the way that I am same but different from day to day. This involved snapping a graphite grid on the wall to control placement. (I love grids. I have always gravitated towards artwork utilizing grid, I just never found a natural way to bring it into my work.) I wanted to space the circles in a seemingly random, asymmetrical pattern. I asked Tim for a random pattern generator. He said: why don’t you use pi! I said: pi?! Simple interpretation: on the grid, 3 fiberglass circles, space, 1 circle, space, 4 circles, space, and so on. I installed the same piece in 4 different venues, always on a wall that was quite different from the others, I mimicked the wall proportions with the grid, so that I had something like 3 rows by 17 columns or 10 rows by 10 columns. Always I followed the beginning sequence of the infinite number pi, staying true to the number, and always the composition worked!! It was balanced, it was asymmetrical, it was not predictable, and it was beautiful. So now I am obsessed with prime numbers and using pi sequences to generate random patterns. From about 2000 on, most of the work was large and in one piece. Large they were but still limited by standard doorways in the short dimension; and both Tim and I were really fed up with moving these things. From the beginning of this ‘abstracting identity narrative’ stuff I depended on some level of narrative as the source for decisions about material, colour, form, movement, etc.. In 2007 I started working on a solo show for a new, beautiful gallery with a few very large walls. Like a 5 year old, I see a huge wall and I want to fill it. I planned a 10 by 10 foot square. This meant modules. In the thinking / drawing stage, one thing led to another and I thought: Articulate the digits!! Let the number make the work. Grid!! This gave the natural organic feel of the crocheted fiberglass a structure that was missing. And it really felt true in my gut. Everything since then has been number generated.

It was at this time I rummaged through my notes and found small scraps of paper on which Tim suggested, years ago, that I could also use e, another infinite number, and Pascal’s Triangle. I used pi, e, and Pascal’s Triangle to create all the work for the DIGITS show at Alfedena Gallery in 2008. Sequences from pi and e can produce completely different rhythms. There is nothing more true than maths and physics. If I commit to a number sequence, I stay true to it. If it doesn’t quite work for that particular form or idea, I try several sequences on paper until it does what I need it to do.

People hear math and run away. My math use is stupidly simple. The numbers are my referent, my source, the thing that creates the work. I am from Western culture so naturally I run sequences from left to right, top to bottom, with some exception. Larger works are straight forward, more obvious, interpretations of each digit, while the source math in the small works is less evident.

Identity Sequence e 4 (2007) is based on the beginning sequence of the infinite number e. It is constructed from 323 small units, 17 rows by 19 columns, to look like an enlarged section of a microscopic organic blueprint. Flesh toned units directly articulate each digit. The four molecule sequence of human DNA determined the use of four alternating colours which serve as the space between each flesh toned digit.

Identity Sequence e Black (2007) is based on the first 49 digits of the number e. I wanted it to feel like a small section that seems to be cut away from a much larger one. Grid is constructed from 49 units in 7 rows by 7 columns. Here the digits are articulated by two systems: tonal gradation of the black where the darkest colour value represents the 9 digit and no colour represents 0; and the distance each unit pushes away from the wall, where units representing the 9 digit push 32” away from the wall and the zeros barely pooch up.

Identity Sequence Pascal’s Triangle Green and Red (2007 / 2008) are based on digits from the first six rows of Pascal's Triangle. Blocks of the same colour represent each digit. The form of each triangle in Pi in Pascal's Triangle Square and Pi in Pascal's Triangle Round (2010) is based on the first four rows of Pascal's Triangle. Four colours are distributed using the first 30 digits of pi. Meaning: I assign colour 1, colour 2, colour 3, colour 4, and then use the digit to drop the colour. For a pi sequence, I count 3 and drop colour 1; count 1 drop colour 2; count 4 drop colour 3; count 1 drop colour 4; and so on. Again, I run the sequence on paper in different colour order because the look of the work, in varied colour distributions, can be quite different.

Size - discuss the size of your work?

Early on, in BFA School I began to understand that every material and process has its own language, its own way to articulate words and ideas. This is one of the principle drivers that took the seminal “I want to abstract narratives of identity” question (1992) to the current crocheting fiberglass into abstract, geometric, minimal number generated forms.

Part of the challenge of understanding a specific material or conceptual language is finding the right scale for that particular form. And, yes, there is always the ‘right’ scale. This is why most of the work from 2000 to 2008 was very large. It took me years to find it and years to explore it. I still believe that the crocheted fiberglass language based on narrative needed to be in that large scale in order to be successful. The number generated work from 2007/2008 changed that. Grid came in. Modules came in. Small components came in. The older, more organic forms needed the scale. The structure of the geometry and pattern released me from that, although the first few number generated works are big.

While making the DIGITS show, I ran out of time, had two small walls, the systems I was developing allowed for a successful 3 x 3 foot and 2 x 5 foot. Six months later I had opportunity to set up an artist booth at The Artist Project art fair. Small walls, actually thinking about selling the work, the new systems allowed and happily resided in this 4 x 4 and 3 x 3 foot scale. These things moved so I stuck in the scale. The work got a little bit smaller as I started using USPS to ship overseas.

Moving (selling and shipping) the work necessitated the scale down which would not have happened without the math structure.

Part of the beauty is the shadows; your work casts comment on this?

At first, the shadow was just a by-product. I soon realized that the shadow, the act of being projected through a solid form, really played into the identity dialogues: which is you, the core of you, is it the body or that which flows through the body and imprints on your environment, that is, your behaviour or even a soul; that kind of stuff. And the shadows were cool. I saw some as drawings. Some had the look of photograms. I enjoyed the reference. With this new conceptual anchor, I wanted to create forms that maximized the shadow drawings, so that the expectation of a certain shadow reaction dictated the form creation and construction. Now that the forms work off of the numbers, a shadow of a curve anchored to a wall can serve as another dimension to complete or close a form. In the more architectural panel pieces, the shadows can draw out or elongate or even create additional elements.

Discuss your involvement in the Art in Embassy Program?

Art in Embassies creates permanent and temporary art exhibitions in over 200 diplomatic venues worldwide. The temporary group exhibitions are curated by incoming ambassadors or their representatives, usually for the duration of their term.

A significant larger work, Daisy Chain (1999), was curated into the art loaned to Spaso House, the American Embassy in Moscow, Russia for a 4 year period (2002-2006). Also during that time, a smaller work was part of the exhibition at the American Embassy in Ankara, Turkey; this was a 2 year loan. From this exposure, in 2006, I was able to sell a large existing work to be a permanent part of the American Embassy in Abuja, Nigeria. And, Daisy Chain was the month of August in the 2004 Embassy of the United States wall calendar!!

Comment on the connection between your work, culture and history?

The search for numbers went on for thousands of years; in this respect, numbers represent the human search for knowledge. And, just about every culture, current and extinct, has and had its own lace or knotted cloth tradition. The tradition of crochet and the process of crocheting both embody passing of time, human labour, and innovation and creativity. The narrative based crocheted fiberglass as well as the math driven crocheted fiberglass reference culture and humanness; they represent time and community; the work highlights our connectivity. If identity is a hybrid of our heritage, then lace is, as tradition of time, labour, and creativity, one tiny point of intersection that connects us all.

Your work, due to the base structure, is seen a feminist, how do you feel about this?

The base structure is the logic of geometry and spatial relationships created by number sequences, thank you for acknowledging the math! Oh, you mean the crochet!! Is the work feminist because I am female crocheting? If the same work was created by male would it still be seen as feminist? The work does surface gender issues, but perhaps not the expected. At most, I’d call the work quietly subversive. But I suppose subversive and feminist reside in the same house.

It is seen as feminist because of the gender of the maker. I prefer for the art to be received for what it is: objects that are products of an active, long-term material and conceptual exploration; minimal, geometric abstractions that are not generic in form but resonate through specificity. The structure, form and colour distribution within the object is created by math; base materials are fiberglass and polyester resin, industrial and nasty to work with; the technique I use to create my own sculpting material is a craft traditionally attributed to female. That is one out of three key components.
I explore the nature of relationships and identity using formalism while striving for specificity. I began ‘abstracting narratives’ to go beyond the generic in my minimal abstract forms. Identity was a vehicle used to construct the DNA (specificity) of the initial work and then process took over. The work is not feminist, it is formalist and referential. It is a hybrid that defies conventional out-dated labels.

Crochet and lacework is very European does this connect you to your homeland and ancestors?

I was born in communist Prague. Moved to the United States 7 weeks before my 11th birthday. I don’t remember any experience with lace or crochet. In 1999, 30 years later, my Mom and I went back to Prague for the first time. By this time, I was crocheting fiberglass for about 3 years, the forms were on the large end of medium, I was not yet handling the material in the best way, I only used simple stitches, and my identity concepts were still limited.

The trip back home had a significant impact on my studio. What I saw was that Czechs are known for, and are proud of, the best beer on this planet, Czech crystal, and lace!! I, for the first time, realized that Czechs have a tradition of gorgeous lace everything. Every home we visited was inundated with lace: concentric circles on interior door glass; lace curtains; plastic lace on plant pots; lace runners; basically lace everywhere. On the streets, the old ladies seemed to have a sort of uniform which consisted of four items: blouse, slacks or skirt, vest, and shawl. Three of these were usually in pattern, the fourth was solid. This overload of patterns should not have worked but it did.

When I got home, my work exploded. Somehow, recognizing that my heritage comes with a lace tradition, I felt a permission to exploit it more fully. I also realized that, although I was claiming to “articulate narratives of identity in the language of crocheted fiberglass”, I was not utilizing the fullness of the crochet language. I bought a book that catalogues many of the traditional stiches, patterns, and formats and began to exploit this resource more fully. I learned that the more complex stiches created a stronger form and allowed me to work larger. While immersing myself in pattern, I finally began to think outside of the body and saw identity in terms of pattern: internal and external; nature vs. nurture; DNA; social behaviour, how groups affect the individual. The identity dialogue evolved into greater complexity. The sculptures reached their proper large scale. Reaching this scale forced me to develop better handling of the material. All this happened because I went back to Prague, saw lace, and reconnected to that culture and place.

Your work is sculpture: does it become sculpture due to its solidness or size? Please discuss

It doesn’t become sculpture, it is sculpture. Sculpture can be in any scale; it can be solid or hollow. Sculpture is not flat; it possesses mass and volume, as does my work. My forms hang on a wall but they reside in three dimensional space. The wall dependency began as a material / scale necessity and later became part of the material language. Sculpture manipulates and activates space. The sheets of handmade, not prefabricated, fiberglass are manipulated to create forms that break into three-dimensional space. The forms manipulate space by pushing into it, by holding it, by folding it, by squeezing it. Some of the forms are so active they command the entire room in deep three dimensional relief, Etudes from Pi in 5 Squared (2011) for example. Some quietly hover in shallow relief, like Pi Line 22 in 5 (2012), yet they still activate a shallow more personal space. In terms of construction, mine is both an additive and subtractive sculpting process.

Which came first: the fibreglass or the crochet?

The fiberglass.

The ‘abstracting of identity narratives’ stuff began at onset of MFA School (1992). That work explored more common sculpture-student materials like iron wire, lead sheet, copper sheet, plaster, bees wax, wood. I was all over the place. My forms were restricted to body metaphors. I still did not understand scale. I had a copper sheet and iron wire form that did not work on the floor or in any relationship to the wall. As a desperate act to salvage the piece, I brought polyester resin, fiberglass matt, and fiberglass insulation into the studio to make a small stand. During my 1st year, a then 2nd year cast fiberglass cloth into moulds; probably why it came to mind. I knew immediately that fiberglass was the material to explore. Not only for its versatility but also for its natural translucency and skin like splotchiness.

During the next three years, my studio focused on material exploration, trying to understand the language of fiberglass and how to use it to articulate my conceptual agenda, which was still stuck in one individual, within the body. During this time, I found the roving. Having used iron wire in school for forcing a shape by binding, I bought a spool and began to play. It was all stupid. I shoved the roving in the corner and forgot about it.

Around November 1996, I was starting to work on my first 2-person show, my narrative was still limited to the body, dichotomies a large part of the dialogue; I was at an all-night grocery at one o’clock in the morning, running by the meat counter, from the corner of my eye, I saw tripe!! I stood there frozen in time as thoughts rushed through my head. I saw fat, I saw lace; beauty and ugliness; identity!! Without recognizing why, I associated lace with crochet. The next day I found a hobby store, purchased a book that teaches you how to make pot holders and baby booties, every size of hook available, and began to crochet. It took another 3 years or so before I began to understand the material language of crocheted fiberglass vs. the language of the prefab matt and cloth.

What are you working on currently?

I am making new work for a small solo show here in Chicago at ARTexhibitionsLink’s Gallery Uno that will go up the first week in October. Right after that I begin a 3 week Artist Residency at Ragdale. During the past 3 years, I have been trying to squeeze in time to transition to 2D by experimenting in ways to map the math via Encaustic work. This is what will continue at Ragdale; but my mind is already distracted by the possibilities.

How do you physically cope with the resin process in you studio?

My studio has a large roof exhaust. I have a full face respirator with two options for filters; a great disposable glove supplier; my body is always fully covered; and at this point, it’s just a normal circumstance of my work.

It is the most maddening stage of the material process. With the time constraint of the initial curing time; the full gear I wear, especially in summer when it is 90 in the studio; the sticking to everything if in resin all day; trying not to lose 2 weeks of crochet in one day by not being able to control the form; this is what I call my Three Stooges stage because the resin session can easily turn into dark, one-person Three Stooges episode. If ever I scream in panic, it is in resin application.

It’s just part of the process. It is what it is. I am committed to this process, I believe in it. Much more unpleasant is the sanding!!

Originally your exhibitions were all in Chicago. This year 2012 you have an exhibition in Germany. How did this come about?

In late 2004 I went to a local gallery to hear an artist talk about her work. There I sat next to another artist who was actively working with ARTexhibitionLink, an art organisation founded by art historian Barbara Goebels-Cattaneo, which links the contemporary art scene in Chicago and Berlin. Barbara asks: “Do artworks show geographic or historical adherence or has contemporary art become a global issue, dealing with comparable problems, working with similar standards?”

In March 2005 Barbara was in Chicago; my new artist friend introduced me; I had a show up; Barbara liked the work; that fall she included me in a 3-person show (also featuring my new artist friend) that hung in an alternative gallery in Rome and later in Berlin. We reconnected in 2010; Barbara took my work to Berliner Liste art fair. In the booth across the aisle was Kunsthandlung Huber & Treff, a gallery from Jena, Germany. They listened to me talk about my work, non-stop, for 4 days. The following year Huber & Treff became the curators for an exhibition space in the lobby of Jenoptik Corporation in Jena which was unused for several years. They invited me to be the inaugural show.

A take away from this story is (although I am mostly a recluse) artists leave your studios!!

Artists are becoming global - can you expand how this is affecting your art work?

The shipping difficulty of moving sculpture in terms of cost and dimensional restrictions led to two things. It made me think in modules (the first work I made for ARTexhibitionLink in 2005) which pried open the door to the number generated work. And it continues to challenge me to make smaller, more compact, yet still somewhat intelligent works, which are easy to ship. I like barriers, they push the work where I would not go on my own.

When I travel, I, like many artists, take too many pictures, often of interesting colour combinations or patterns in architecture. Before each project, whether the fiberglass or the 2D work, I run through my sources for inspiration. Math is universal, but I think that the character of a specific geography can be transported through colour and/or rhythm.

Contact Details:

Website:www.yvettekaisersmith.com

Email: yvette@kaisersmith.com

Yvette Kaiser Smith, Chicago, USA

Interview by Deborah Blakeley, October, 2013

by Deborah Blakeley

Kathy Venter

You use very traditional techniques of hand coiling and pinching in you work, can you elaborate on your technique?

I began hand building by using the coil method. The application of a thick coil of clay around the circumference of the upper edge of the form and then pinching this coil to blend into the clay form below and upwards to extend and resemble the wall below. To follow the outer line of the form more accurately, I later used smaller lozenges of clay pinched into place. I’ve adapted this method to suit the specific challenges of creating figurative life-size work. Unlike many of my contemporaries, I don’t make use of any life casts, moulds into or over, or modelling over an armature. I finish the shaping of the area I built the day before by bending and paddling the wall – then add a new area of rough form above this and repeat the process.

The model poses for me throughout.

Currently you have a huge installation at the Gardiner Museum. Could you tell us about your relationship with the museum? How ‘Life’ came about? The time line you had to prepare for this whole exhibition?

The Gardiner Museum is the largest museum of its kind in Canada and attracts visitors from all over.

The head curator – Dr. Charles Mason visited my studio having an idea in mind for a large scale exhibition which would be a strong and full use of the new space for contemporary ceramics being built onto the Gardiner at that time.

When he saw my work in person he felt this was an answer to the headache of whether a vessel form could ever be referred to as sculpture. The popular theory defined a vessel as any ceramic form enclosing a space – and sculpture not. The popular definition of the vessel as craft is seriously challenged in my art as the hollow clay form created in the making of these sculptures had no practical function and the outside form is obviously sculpture, i.e., fine art. But the technique of pottery making is the fundamental process in creating these works. I have a respect for the basic fundamentals of craft existing in the sculpture of all societies. The argument of art versus craft has traditionally had very little relevance in most societies and I believe that this argument has run its course in the contemporary debate. We have to remember that the work “art” comes from the Greek “ars”, which means craft. So during a period of high art, the best craftsmen were valued. In fact, my sculpture, because of the medium, consistently straddles what could be considered craft and what could be considered fine art. My work has only been exhibited in contemporary fine art galleries.

I had three years to prepare for the show, but this extended into six years because of other commitments for the Gardiner.

As well as the exhibition, there is a beautiful catalogue: can you discuss how this catalogue came about and your involvement in its production?

I had good documentation of all my work and Deon, my artist husband, put the catalogue together with the images relating to the text. The biography was compiled using images of our early life in South Africa as well as our immigration to Canada in 1989 and subsequent exhibitions.

Can you discuss the importance of humanity and community to your work?

In the installation Coup d’Oeil the subject of our collective humanity and community is most evident. These young women are all friends and have been part of this community for most of their lives. Looking at them grouped in the sculpture they could have lived ten thousand years ago or they could be from our times. My intention is for these figures to have the appearance of life itself, in its own process of coming to be. They’re universal. I take the approach of depicting the living persona, without generalization or objectification. Artists have the freedom to also show the enduring qualities in humanity, the strength within society as well as reveal our spiritual capacity. In this way the themes of our humanity are the visions of our poetic intuition and define our emotions. The human body is a universal for all cultures. Our past is linked to our present and all cultures through our humanity.

Ceramics and Sculpture are both part of your art practice, can you elaborate?

During my years at art school sculpture was my major and ceramics one of my subjects. I loved both and discovering an affinity with clay, I joined them together.

Your work is life size how do you get this to work taking into account shrinkage and breakage during firing?

I build the figure approximately 15% larger than life size to allow for the shrinkage during drying and firing.

The Salt Spring women: can you discuss your relationship with these women?
Also your relationship with the tribal children in the Ciskei region ? Inspiration, location and artistic issues?

Using models of young women, from my community in the transition stage between child and womanhood, I could draw inspiration from my visual knowledge of the same stage of development in the tribal, Xhosa society in my area of the Eastern Cape in South Africa. There is a duality in the human form at this stage, sometimes both child and adult are evident, then again, only one or the other. In the Hogsback near our hometown of Alice in the Republic of the Ciskei I encountered children who made tiny figures of kudu and wild boar. Their sculptures were an immediate response to the primary experience of life there, with no exterior or learned referencing. About seventeen children supported their village by making these small clay images of animals. Walter Batiss, a local professor of art and painter, gifted some of these to Picasso who admired and collected them. Even if these sculptures were made on site with no knowledge of what art is, or potentially can be, these sculptures are high art and ultimately spontaneous. These children are creating forms in response to their own cultural matrix and yet they can be understood by all cultures. These sculptures are an unselfconscious response to life, part of a live culture. For these children mystical realism and mythology is not separate from daily life. There is no dividing line.

The use of the veil – how does this relate to reveal and conceal?

Metanarrative is a story within a story – I use it as a personal idiom suspended on the grid of an ancient tale or legend. In this work I use myth as the symbol of existence, of life itself and its essential meaning beyond the contingent occurrence of events.

The veiled woman is in stasis, the powerful emblems of national strength crumbling around her, unable to interpret the metaphor of rebirth and promise lying at her feet in the form of the infant child. The baby represents the woman’s progeny, our progeny, and is an embodiment of the future.

In complete contrast with the rest, this form is small, fragile, organic, moving, reaching outward. As a reconstruction of an idea of civilization Metanarrative suggests we conceive of cultural or historical values as constructs just as this scene is a construct that merges human figures with architectonic elements. More important, as personified by the child, is the living heritage we pass on, and a living culture, no matter how fragile or young. Any cultural dialogue, this sculptural installation Metanarrative implies, is a living dialogue with eternity.

Can you discuss ‘Woman Drawing’ and how this evolved?

This sculpture builds a narrative using the physical communication between two figures. It is a metaphor for the process of making art – the reality of experience. The woman drawing is on her knees in front of the subject – the position describes the subjective attitude – an essential part of making an image of the live model – a reverence for the magnificence, complexity and diversity of the human form. Within this, there is no space for preconceived ideas or visual clichés on the part of the drawer – there is only receptive, careful observation and a delight in the resulting discoveries. In face of this – both figures are nude, exposed, one physically and the other intellectually. The dynamic tension, implicit in the way these two women interact, is defined by the self-assured confidence and passivity of the observed and the tight, energetic form of the observer.

The immersion Series presents figures floating in suspended space. Discuss the inspiration for this series?

These sculptures are made from studies of my models underwater. Water refers to another dimension, an altered state of consciousness.

Figures in water react differently to sound, light, gravity, and movement. The human experience under water is cocoon-like – as if transformed back to the womb and in a private world of its own. The effect of gravity on the figure is diminished; there is free movement of the limbs and evidence of pressure from the surrounding water on clothing, hair and face

Suspended by cables in space the sculptures can be viewed from all angles – including underneath – freeing the work from the traditional pedestal, form, mass and weight of grounded sculpture.

Your art is influenced by many ancient works discuss the importance for you to look back to be able to move forward?

Whether in installation, performance, or sculpture, or any one of the many forms conceptual art takes, many artists today, including myself, believe that our rich visual heritage is a good source for reintroducing and advancing the language of art. From the dawn of time there has been the narrative: by the Shaman, by the Egyptian artists, the Chinese and European artists to tell their stories and to engage fully in the religious and spiritual world. I am adherent to the philosophy that the well-made object, by the artist, has an intrinsic value and is the preferred method for extending the language of art. In the process of making the sculpture – new things are discovered. This growth and transference cannot be accomplished by an intermediary. We often, now, search for inspiration in obscure influences rather than re-evaluating the accomplished examples achieved in the great periods of classical Rome, Egypt, Greece, the European Renaissance, and the Sung Dynasty in China. I understand that the past and present are always in flux. There are two ways of reconstructing the past – that of intuitively and mythically aims to define our emotions and experiences in view of the eternal concepts in ancient art. I walk a fine line between tradition and contemporaneity, I don’t re-create forms from the past, instead I reinvent and rephrase them using models from my own community on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia.

Is there a definite thread that connects you series?

Yes. The thread which connects all the series could best be described as “Metanarrative” because the five series have their initial concepts drawn from the great stories of our humanity, stories of myth, religion, ritual, and legend. At the same time these sculptures are equally derived from my immediate surroundings and experiences on Salt Spring Island. I am creating a story within a story so to speak. I’m rethinking how to tell the stories of today without overlooking the rich visual and conceptual history of the past.

Can you explain the importance of your initial training in South Africa?

My art training began with one year of drawing. After this I chose sculpture as my major and ceramics as one of my subjects for my MFA. My ceramics lecturer, Hylton Nel, would show me a Chinese sculpture or bowl and simply say “look at this.” The language of art is visual. He taught me to build on that. Hylton was very connected and eclectic. There was always this excitement of discovery about him.

I watched the apparatus of state at a point of collapse. That is why I sought an even balance between beauty and truth. I needed to think that way in the studio in contrast to what I was experiencing out there in life. As a South African the issues of the day have influenced my artwork more than contemporary sculpture has. The experiential knowledge of living with such violence, poverty and suppression has and will always inform my artwork. It afforded my work a respect for context and truth and my work is different from my peers as a result.

As a child you were interested in ballet, do you think this was the initial link with your interest in the human body and the movement of the body to your work?

It’s the same thing, whether it is focusing and developing the movement of my human body or the clay figurative form to describe an attitude or tell a story, I learned through both disciplines the eloquence of the body and how receptive we are to interpreting even the smallest movement or positioning of the head or hand and, in antithesis, how responsive we are to weak, insincere or superficial rendering of the figurative form. The most important, early, lesson I learned from ballet was discipline itself. Staying with the idea and honing it for years until it says a little of the depth I see in nature.

How do you title your work?

These come from places in my past that I have loved or have been important to me in some way. They could be words lifted out of books I’ve read, concepts about the subject/content, or references to ancient political systems.

You have been very lucky with the beautiful catalogue – do you personally document your work?

Thank you. The photography of the artwork for the catalogue was done by a fellow islander – David Borrowman – and the rest were taken by Deon.

How important do you think it is for an artist’s actual daily feelings about their work to be documented for history?

My own daily feelings are irrelevant to my work and haven’t been influential, because, in the studio, there is no mystery of heightened awareness – only work and thought. There is the participation in the life of the subject, a view of the collective through the singular, within the silent dialogue between the model and myself. There is an ancient discipline of creating an artwork between artist and model and it is one which can never be fully explored, in face of the limitless diversity of the human form and psyche. The individual, her presence and attitude are life affirming. I also don’t think of my work in terms of individual, completed pieces. The ideas in one work will flow over into the next and inform the development there. All my work is one process that will never reach completion. It is this process that interests me. I’m satisfied with that.

Can you discuss one of your much earlier works ‘Renata’ 1997 and the progression of you work?

The model for this sculpture was a transient young woman from the Czech Republic. She seemed to feed her mind only, not her body. She would save every penny, sleep in the bush, bathe in the lake, then buy expensive tickets to the opera. She embodied the resilience of her country, such a desire for cultural development in spite of difficult circumstances, and the lack of funds to support it. I admire her combination of strength in frailty. I choose models who embody qualities that are often overlooked in our fast paced culture. Character and intrinsic beauty is deep seated and it is a thrill to find where this is visible in the body of the person I’m looking at.

On a more simple level, can you discuss your studio space and what you require technically?

Deon and I each have a beautiful studio space. I don’t require much room for working in clay – but there is a good deal of equipment such as kiln, sand-blasting booth, compressor, dust extractor, fans, benches, banding wheels, boxes of clay, bags of sand and a hydraulic lift.

You have very good contact with curators, gallery directors and museum directors. Can you give some insight into how you have fostered these connections?

I was very fortunate to win the eye and support of Dr. Charles Mason. He has shown so much enthusiasm and respect for my work and, although he is no longer with the Gardiner Museum, this support together with countless months of assistance, support and advice from Deon, has led to the success of the exhibition Life and its future travels to other museums.

Contact Details:

Website: www.kathyventer.com

Email: dkventer@gmail.com

23 – 315 Upper Ganges Rd.,

Salt Spring Island, B.C.

V8K 2X4

Canada

Kathy Venter, Salt Spring Island, Canada

Interview by Deborah Blakeley, September, 2013

by Deborah Blakeley

Graeme Foote

The very first career change was from large to small, stone masonry to jewellery and silversmith, what brought about this change?

In 1967 I became an apprentice stonemason, I learnt a lot of skills but I wasn’t making any sculptures most of the work was focused on the domestic market or very plain gravestones, so changed direction and got an apprenticeship with renowned Finish Silversmith and Jeweller Tor Schvank and became a jeweller and silversmith I got the opportunity of making fine silver sculptures.

A large part of your career was with Angela Foote in establishing “Gargoyles and Dragons”. This was a move that related to the times. Can you explain about the 1980’s and Australians fascination with Federation and your role in this?

My wife, Angela, and I were renovating an Edwardian Home and could not get a terra cotta dragon for the roof of our home, so I set about learning to make them. Once I had successfully put our first dragon on the roof I was approached by builders and home renovators to make them a dragon. We moved house and started another renovation project and could not get any terra cotta finials or ridges to match our roof, so I set about to make some myself, this did take quite a bit of developing till I was happy with the end product, this opened a floodgate of orders from builders and tilers throughout Australia, and all of a sudden the Terra Cotta work was taking over from the jewellery. Angela and I decided to start up ‘Gargoyles and Dragons’ together in a fulltime capacity, which grew to us employing up to 6 staff at a time. Four years ago I sold this business to one of my long time employees so that I could focus on my artwork fulltime. I am very proud of the contribution we made to the restoration of Federation Homes around Australia with the introduction of our terra cotta building products, allowing our heritage to continue for future generations in it is true glory.

Is your current work usually based on a theme? Why do you find this works so well for you?

My current artwork over the last 10 years has been based on the human body with a focus towards humanity and love, as I see a need for more of both in the world at the moment, I see my work as a social conscience and hopefully reminding and enlightening the viewer to stop and think more.

How far ahead do you need to prepare?

I am always thinking of new ways to take my art and would generally be working on the next two years of exhibitions.

Your current exhibition is based on books can you expand on this?

My current exhibition ‘Book Memories’ came about after my previous exhibition ‘Humanity’ which was looking towards the future and how we all need to work together, from there I thought on how I got to that point? After much reflection I realized it was though the books I had read in the past, so I wrote down the books that had inspired me over my life and was able to see a path from the past to current time. I then wanted to portray the books of most significance and bring them to life; the exhibition is a tribute to the authors of the books and the power of the word.

One of your other series was "6 Influential Australian Women". Can you explain the logistics of this series?

This exhibition came about through my mother who made the statement to me one day about how she felt invisible as a woman in society and on the street once she was over 50 years old. I then researched sculptures of woman in Melbourne and found there was very few, most portrait sculptures were of sportsman, war hero’s, explorers and pioneers. I then thought how many women were just as strong role models but were given no recognition with a sculpture in society.

How did you choose the 6 women?

I then thought of current women who were great positive role models in our current society and came up with my top 6. I approached each of these ladies who all agreed to meet and sit for me to sculpt life size sculptures in stoneware of them.

All 6 women had given their valuable time to help humanity in various ways, I found them to be selfless, good people that society could all learn from.

The women sculpted were Dame Elisabeth Murdoch, Janet Holmes a Court, Lowija (Lois) O’Donohue, Jeanne Pratt, Stephanie Alexander & Christine Nixon.

I chose to sculpt them in relaxed poses.

Editor’s note:

Dame Elisabeth Joy Murdoch AC DBE 1909 – 2012, was an Australian philanthropist.

Janet Holmes à Court, AC, 1943 is an Australian businesswoman,

Lowitja "Lois" O'Donoghue, AC, CBE, DSG 1932 is an Aboriginal Australian retired public administrator.

Jeanne Pratt, Victorian of the Year 2013, philanthropist.

Stephanie Ann Alexander OAM is an Australian cook, restaurateur and food writer,

Christine Nixon 1953 was the Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police 2001- 2009.

You do commissions, how do these fit into your timetable?

I always make time for private commissions, as I love the sharing of ideas between myself and the client to form a new artwork and often in a direction that I may never have experienced; it is exciting to have a stranger share their thoughts and ideas.

Your studio is at the rear of your Gallery. Can you take us into the studio and discuss some of the special equipment and spaces your art needs?

As most of my art practice is large sculptures that dictate the layout and equipment that I need, starting with my most loved hydraulic lift table, which saves my knees and enables me to move large pieces on to other trolleys of different heights. From the studio I can move pieces over to the fork lift to load them into the kiln. The kiln is a large trolley kiln that I built with my son, Ryan.

Another interesting technique is a combination of ceramics and resin. Can you expand on this work?

I really like using other mediums with ceramic. I have been embedding some of my ceramic artwork in resin which gives the artwork another dimension, it gives the illusion of looking into water or ice and the sculpture is distorted so that you have to study the piece to see into it, the resin carries light and colour into the sculpture.

What technical improvements have happened since the 1970’s and how have these changed your work?

My ceramic practice is different to many ceramicists as I start with a large built up block of clay and then carve into the block, I think this technique comes from my stonemasonry background. I carve a shape then hollow out the sculpture then finish the detail. Carving tools are still mainly wooden tools which are similar tools that have been used for hundreds of years. The only improvement in recent years has been the hydraulic lifting equipment now available.

Contact Details:

www.graemefoote.com

www.hawthornstudiogallery.com.au

graeme@graemefoote.com

Graeme Foote, Melbourne, Australia.

Interview by Deborah Blakeley, August, 2013

by Deborah Blakeley

Clare Bigger

Can you tell us about your sculpture the Irish Elk?

The commission

The “Irish Elk” was commissioned by Mourne Heritage Trust, Warrenpoint, Northern Ireland. This was a collaboration with Irish Artist Paul Regan, who conceived the idea and managed the project. I designed and manufactured the Elk at my workshop in England and then shipped it to Northern Ireland once completed. It arrived in Warrenpoint by ferry

The time it takes to bring a huge project like this together.

On average the whole process from conception to installation take about 1 year or so. The actual build time takes 3 – 4 months.

How you work in collaboration with other sculptors on projects?

It is unusual for me to work with another artist. Paul Regan and I worked well together sharing relevant parts of the project. Together we also offered a community art workshop in the area as part of a community engagement plan.

How much help do you require to produce large scale pieces?

Sculptures up to the size of the Irish Elk I can build single handed with some outside help with the structural welding. I do not like to hand over the fabrication of my sculptures to someone else preferring instead to do as much as possible myself. However larger pieces are a two man job and for these projects I move into the much bigger premises of Trapp Forge which has overhead lifting gear and work with one of the blacksmiths. This works really well for me in that it allows me to preserve the feel of the original design and ensure that nothing is lost in the scaling up of the sculpture. Having made 20 or so large commissions at Trapp Forge, they are used to me completely rehashing something that they thought was finished the day before!

Can you discuss the different space – studio, foundries you need for your work?

I have a small studio at Trapp Forge, in which I make all of the smaller pieces. Trapp Forge is a lovely place, set in the rolling landscape of Lancashire. Next door to my studio is a local blacksmiths forge which does blacksmithing and steel fabrication.

Can you discuss the commission of ‘Climbing to New Heights’ and your thoughts on the importance of sculpture in public places?

“Climbing to new heights” was commissioned by Wigan Council. It is located on a new roundabout which is part of a business park development. It acts as a landmark for the local area, giving a pride of place. It is for these reasons that I think art is important in public places. Also, providing easy access to art – you can see it for free without having to go into a museum or art gallery.

Can you tell us about ‘Gymnast’?

This relatively small piece stands 12” high and is made of mild steel which has been lacquered. It was quite an early piece. I have always been inspired by sports people and how they can train their bodies and minds to perform such amazing feats. When I was young my heroes were people like Olga Korbut and Daley Thompson.

The human body plays a large part in your work can you discuss how you can achieve such movement out of metal?

The form is loosely based on the musculature of the human body. I pick and choose which muscles I think will enhance the feeling of movement and create a flow within the body.

How forgiving is the material you use to the bending and manipulation you place on it?

When I first started making sculptures at Art College I was often frustrated by the fact that sculptures made out of clay and plaster collapsed. The metal work technician suggested using steel as an armature. When I tried out steel I knew that I had found the perfect medium for what I was trying to achieve. I could cantilever off balance sculptures using the smallest of supports. I use pliers, forks (long handled levers) and vices to help me bend the metal without having to use heat.

You have also made smaller scale work that is similar to larger pieces. Can you discuss this in relationship to cats and dogs?

I have recently started making smaller cats and dogs. I love making these pieces which are so immediate. The lighter material means that it’s like sketching in metal. A quick twist here and a bend there can be done effortlessly.

‘Figaro’

‘Petite Psipsi’

When making larger pieces, I usually start by making a maquette and scale up from that. I try to retain the flow and spontaneity of the original piece.

When and how do you decide to use stainless steel or mild steel?

I tend to use stainless steel for all my pieces now. It can be placed outside without any need for extra treatment and also gives a wider colour range.

Can you explain the difference between the two steels and the weathering effects it has on the finish piece?

Mild steel rusts unless it has been powder coated or lacquered. Stainless steel doesn’t rust and is perfect for outdoor pieces.

How restricted are you by the available sizes of the steel available and also the cost of steel?

Stainless steel is much more expensive than mild steel, but requires far less after care. I’m not particularly restricted by availability of sizes of steel. I’m more restricted by what I can and can’t do at the Forge. For example, I can roll and bend tube with a hydraulic pipe bender but only up to 2”diameter. Larger pipe has to be rolled elsewhere but they will only roll in one plane. To achieve a 3D effect I have to cut the pipe, twist it and then weld it up again.

I am also limited by my strength. I can manipulate plate up to 4mm thick using levers but after that heat or hydraulics would have to be used.

When you are making a piece, what are some of the technical decisions you have to make both for the studio space and the final commissioning of the piece?

The overall height of the piece determines whether it can be built indoors or has to be fabricated inside on the floor and then put together outside. Because of the nature of my designs, I prefer to build them upright. This allows me to see them from every angle and make adjustments throughout the process.

Transport to site is also a major consideration. There are height and width restrictions so most sculptures have to come apart and be bolted or welded together again on site. Also we have to give a thought to the way the pieces will be craned into place.

A structural engineer will always be involved in the bigger projects and will advise us on material sizes to ensure strength and longevity of the structure.

How did a nice girl like you come into the huge steel world?

When I first left Art College and was trying to make ends meet I worked for someone who was building polystyrene sets for the film and TV industry. It was really exciting work, very varied and often on a huge scale. Maybe this gave me a belief in my abilities to do things on a larger scale. Then in 1995 I was asked to make some smaller sculptures for the newly built head office of Birmingham Midshires Building Society. The gallery that I was dealing with asked whether I could also make a larger piece to be sited outside the offices. It was a challenge but I felt that I could do it. It was a steep learning curve but I had the help of an excellent structural engineer who gave me a lot of good advice. On that first piece I enlisted help from my dad and brother. Over the years and the many projects, I have learnt a lot from the blacksmiths and steel fabricators at Trapp Forge. Apart from blacksmithing techniques, I have picked up a few good tricks of the trade for manipulating sheet metal and pipework as one or two of the fabricators had previously worked in industry making tankers.

Contact Details:

www.clarebigger.com

Email: clare@clarebigger.com

Clare Bigger, Lancashire, UK

Interview by Deborah Blakeley, August, 2013

by Deborah Blakeley

Ivan Lardschneider

During 1999 – 2004 you worked as a Journeyman can you explain that this involved?

During this time I worked under two different masters. One worked with religious sculptures and the other made modern-baroque sculpture. While working in these two areas, I realized that I should allow my imagination to run wild. Maybe if I did I would begin to produce something that no one else has done. I would become my very own artist. As far as I know there is no other artists working with plants to carve Stylart.

This is a completely different type of work. Can you enhance on this part of your art?

Yes that was done during my time as an apprentice under my master. We made these sculptures, religious statues of saints of every size and style ...

You exhibit you’re work internationally. How important do you find exhibitions for your artistic growth?

This is very important to exhibit internationally, because you learn so much from a lot of different people who come for other cultures. It is so important for a young artist to gain this experience and to be able to do it in such a short time. I find it very rewarding to be represented in many exhibitions. Currently my work is in four galleries in Italy, Miami and Germany.

Your work is very much your own.

Yes, that in my aim.

Can you discuss the material and size of your work?

The material that I use is Linden Wood and I can get it in varies sizes.

Material : Linden Wood

The sapwood of basswood is smooth white to pale brown, while the heartwood is a smooth white to more of a pale pink-brown in colour. The species has a straight and fine grain. The wood is of a fine and uniform texture

Size : my plants are between 15 cm and 220 cm high

Can you please expand on this piece?

‘Opss’… that tells you when something falls to the ground, and in this case the head is dropped and I will pick it up again because it is very difficult to exist without it in position.

Was it made for someone or for an exhibition?

No, basically I'm doing almost all my work and it is this - just as the ideas come to me - in the head.

The choice of materials you use - how do you make this choice?

I work with wood, the wood is lime, and sometimes with bronze but this is already a precious material. Other materials I will use as I maybe in the next few years as the whim takes me.

Can you tell us about this piece?

I made this piece several years ago but it is still interesting as it goes into the meaning of pray. Children pray differently from adults, they are not as aware as perhaps we adults are. They do not know what they are really meaning.

Can you explain about Nadine?

I made this piece from a photograph in a special Stylart. Is it 45cm.

What are you currently working on?

Currently I am working with different materials, quite different plants like these ones where I use wood and add other objects such as "Lego" and gold.

Can you take us into your studio and explain your tools and the area you work in?

My studio, it is very light, with beautiful views of our mountains.

I work with wood, and my tools are designed for using with this materials; scalpels, saws and many wood rasps.

It is after I have a good idea that I am able to create. I am always working simultaneously on several at a time and it appears to become at times like a factory waiting to the pieces to be finished.

I always take photographs as the work is finished and put the photos on Facebook or other sites. This allows me to have a huge audience out there and I am happy to present my work to the world. It is so encouraging if viewers out there write or click. Please if you see something new from me always respond.

Contact Details:

Larciunei, 6 - 39048 Selva / Wolkenstein

Val Gardena / Gröden - Italy

Tel.(0039) 0471 342204

Email: info@ivanart.it

Ivan Lardschneider, Val Gardena, Italy.

Interview by Deborah Blakeley, August, 2013

by Deborah Blakeley

Barbara Franc

Your initial training included life drawing, how important is this to your current work?

I used to attend Morley Art College for one a day a week in the early days whilst I was still working with the BBC. My tutors included Maggie Hambling and John Bellany, both well established artists here in the UK. They were both very passionate about drawing from life and encouraged students to express themselves through whatever medium they chose to use.
Life drawing did play an important part in my own work at the time but I now tend not to sketch on a flat surface at all and find it more immediate to draw with wire. I think that’s just because I find I look at things three dimensionally and prefer to recreate the form straight away, I’m just too impatient to translate it into 2D first.

Mary Orrom is your mentor; can you explain the value of having a mentor as an artist?

I am very lucky in the fact that every Thursday I meet up at Mary Orrom’s house with a group of other sculptors and we just ‘workshop’ together with Mary being the guiding force. She is hugely inspirational and will give just the right advice at the right time about a developing piece of work. Her own work is constantly innovative and boundary pushing, she successfully uses materials in a very intuitive, beautiful and thought provoking way.
I owe a lot to my long standing friendship with her.

One inspiration of your current works, is based on an injured crow “Edgar” can you explain how this relationship came about and how it come into your work?

A couple of years ago, Edgar literally just walked into our lives. I was at the front of my house sweeping away some leaves when a black, tatty crow just walked out from under our car and stood there looking at me. I then heard a lot of ‘cawing’ in the surrounding trees and two other crows started to fly down to mob him. As this crow in front of me seemed unable to fly and was not afraid of me, I picked him up and checked him over to see if he was injured but could find nothing wrong with him that was obvious.

He seemed remarkably tame and I wondered if he had been hand reared, so we took him into our back garden and fed him to see if he would get any stronger.

This went on for a couple of days during which time he would come into our conservatory when called, he was quite perky but still made no attempt to fly.

During this time I contacted several wild animal rescue sites, they all offered advice but said they could not take him in as he was so tame and would not be able to be released back to the wild. I then found some wonderful people who rescue crows and other corvids and if they cannot go back to the wild will bring them into their family as pets, one lady even had her Jackdaw talk down the phone to me!

So Edgar went to live up North with some other crows, his new owner had him for a while and eventually he died from a lung infection, she estimated that he was probably about 30 years old. She then explained to me that after having looked after him she was fairly sure that he was a wild bird and that some crows are smart enough to turn to human help when they start to get old. He had been mobbed by his fellow crows because of his age and frailty, nature at its cruellest.

It had been such a privilege to have had him in our lives for even a short time, I made a whole series of sculptures based on him all from old black plastic that had been distorted by heat. It just seemed the right material to use for that wonderful but hopelessly tatty old bird that stole our hearts.

The pictures here are of the two pieces that I have kept here at home.

As well as 3D work you also do 2D pieces. Can you tell us about both techniques?

The 2D pieces I have made are not totally flat as I do allow the tin to emerge slightly from the surface, for example the ruff collars of the Cholmondely Sisters. This particular piece is my own copy of one of my favourite paintings that hangs in Tate Britain, I love the composition of this work, and it is so different from anything else painted in that era and has a wonderful sense of humour. What a shame that the painter still remains anonymous.

I worked on this particular piece whilst suffering from the recent bereavement of my father, it really helped me get through that difficult time and appreciate that life will always run its course and start anew. The technique to make a piece like this is fairly straightforward, I mark out the picture on a large piece of wood, cut pieces of tin to shape and just tack them onto the wood base, the fun is finding the right colour and also injecting some humour with the choice selection of words from script on the recycled tin.

One baby has ‘jelly baby’ and sweet tins on its body, the other the words ‘celebration’, I thought the use of champagne packaging on one of the mothers was also appropriate.

This piece is now in a private collection and I do admit to missing it.

Matisse is another of my favourite artists and I have made homage pictures of his works as well.

Can you explain about your British Birds and birds from further away?

The bird’s series came about when One Church Street Gallery offered me a solo show but asked that the theme be ‘birds’. I took to this idea like the proverbial ‘duck’ and have never looked back; I really enjoy the form and endless diversity in this animal group.

My use of coloured tin dates back to this show as I wanted a medium to express the wide range in plumage. I try to make most of the birds approximately life size as I think that scale suits them the best.

Where do you get your recycled materials from?

I find a lot of my pieces literally on the streets, charity shops, car boot sales and I have a small army of my mother-in–law’s friends who tirelessly supply me with old biscuit tins!

Looking at your Highland Hares the use of recycled materials is more evident please discuss?

I have two methods of working at the moment, the first as described for the birds with a fine wire armature to which tin is soldered onto, the second method is similar but far more time consuming. I will make a loose armature from wire netting and start to add bits and pieces of detritus to it with copper wire. Windscreen wiper blades might become a leg, an old colander becomes a rib cage, a draught excluder becomes a horse’s ‘hogged’ mane. I will spread my work surface with hundreds of found objects and select from them. I could spend a whole day just offering up pieces to the sculpture and still not be happy with the result and then suddenly the right piece presents itself!

Working with recycled and found objects makes me accept the individual qualities of the various materials they are made of, I have to adapt to them, not the other way round. It’s a bit like assembling a jigsaw with no picture and all the pieces keep changing shape before I can get them under some sort of control!

How do you decide on an animal or bird to do a series?

The choice of what I work on can come down to a straightforward commission, or I might go on a walk and see something like a Hare bounding in front or I might find a bottle top that suggests a cat’s eye to me.

Where does your inspiration for your Kimonos come from? Can you please explain how this work is done and expand on how you have also framed some of this work?

The kimono series started after my daughter went on a trip to Japan and brought one of these beautiful garments back for me. I went to the V&A Museum to research their collection, I was intrigued not only by the garments but also how their display. They were suspended by poles through the armholes and I just find this a really pleasing sculptural form, it was as if the garments took on a life of their own whilst patiently waiting to be worn.

I started to construct my own kimonos, using my one for the dressmaking pattern, the life size ones made from pieces of tin stitched together with copper wire and hung from bamboo poles. After the large garments I then made a series of small ones that are either individually framed or as a group.

When you have a solo exhibition what lead time do you need?

It is always wonderful to be offered a solo exhibition and it depends on the venue as to how many pieces they would like and what size but I do like to have a year to be able to think and plan out what I would enjoy making for the show.

You have an upcoming exhibition, is this the only work you will do until it is complete or do you add other work for diversity?

With my upcoming show I will almost exclusively work towards it with perhaps now and again doing some smaller pieces to commission for a bit of variety and also income!

Do you exhibit outside the UK – would you like to?

I haven’t exhibited outside the UK and apart from the obvious logistics of transporting work, customs etc. I think I would welcome the challenge of showing to a wider audience. I do take commissions from abroad I am just about to make a pair of Chickadees to fly off to Canada.

You do commissions, can you explain how someone can give you a commission and the criteria you have to accepting?

It’s very easy for anyone to just contact me directly through email; I’ll always try to answer promptly. I like to discuss a project through with the client to make sure we are both happy with a project, but if it’s something I don’t think I can do justice to or is suitable to my method of work, I will say we shouldn’t pursue it.

Contact Details:

Email: Barbara.franc@btinternet.com

Barbara Franc, London, UK

Interview by Deborah Blakeley, March, 2013

by Deborah Blakeley

Yulia Ustinova

Do you call your women ‘big women’ or do you have a special name for them?

I prefer to call them ladies or ‘plumpies’. Originally, instead of “plumpies” Iused the Russian word “tetki” – it means uneducated and ungroomed women. Maybe there is a more appropriate word for this – it depends on their image and my mood.

Can you tell us how you came to crochet your women?

I was born in an artistic family. My mother is a sculptor, my father is a book illustrator. My mother is very good at handiwork, so she has taught me how to crochet when I was 5 years old. At 11 I entered a professional artistic school learning the Academy of pictorial arts. There I used to practice painting, graphics, sculpture, and during my spare time – crochet. I`ve crocheted everything – clothes, simple toys, things for interiors. I don`t know exactly how, but when I was already working as an illustrator, an idea occurred to me. I thought about setting a doll vertically, that is how carcass and plinth appeared . That way I have combined sculpture and my love for crochet.

Your women are not dressed. Why?

I am more interested in plasticity and shape. Clothes make my works look more literary, closer to dolls. And I’m doing something like a parody of “classical” sculptures.

All your women are doing daily tasks. Can you explain how you decide on the positions?

I am taking all my ideas from real life which surrounds me, from my reflections about some events. Sometimes plasticity dictates the plot, sometimes, on the contrary, feelings and impressions from real life get shape in my works.

Do you use models for your work?

I don`t use models. Almost always the model is me. All the positions of the hands, legs, and head com from looking in the mirror, even if I am making women with another figure or even a man...

Do you do life drawing exercises?

Sometimes I can make a little sketch, if an interesting idea suddenly occurs to me. I like to make sketches on a beach, but it is hard, I don`t like to confuse people. So I put on sunglasses and pretend that I am drawing the sea.

Where do you get your women from?

They are all around me, my friends, my acquaintance, almost every one of them has problems, and lots of them have a difficult personal life, or are unfortunate in love. Something concentrates and the lady or plumpie (tetka) appears.

What size are your crochet sculptures?

They are about 25cm to 60cm in size. I’d love to make them bigger, but there is a metallic carcass in them and it`s quite hard to hold in my hands and turn the heavy and barbed construction.

How solid are your figures?

Works are crotcheted very tight and solidly filled with cotton wool. So they are quite solid.

Do you always use variegated wool?

Always, for the last 10 years. Previously I`ve crocheted with pink and flesh-colored threads. But it really made my works more doll like. I am making variegated threads myself from 4 or 5 strands. I need colors to work for my idea.

You have a degree, from Moscow Printing Arts, When did you get this and how has it helped you with your current work?

I`ve got it after school and I earned money as a children books illustrator. So it helps me a lot. I appreciate the fact that crocheted sculptures are my hobby, and I can crochet when I want to, and when I have control over my works.

Where have you exhibited your work?

They are not exhibited constantly, except in Olga Okudzava`s museum of author dolls. Often I have periodic exhibitions at The Central House of Artists.

How can people get your work?

I sell my works quite rarely, they only go to good hands or to the museums. In Russia I am selling them during exhibitions. I`ve never sent them to other countries, but now I am getting a lot of such requests, since I`ve made my page on Facebook.

Do you do specific commissions?

I`ve made a work for a request only once, for my regular customer, whom I couldn`t refuse. I think that it wasn`t great, because I prefer to work with my own ideas.

Contact

Email: ustinova1961@gmail.com

Yulia Ustinova, Moscow, Russia

Translation by Mikhail Melnikov-Vorreiter.

Interview by Deborah Blakeley, March, 2013

by Deborah Blakeley

Tom Hill

You have been working full time as a wire sculptor since 1994, winning the Setting up Grant from the British Council in 1994.
What did this grant do to help you establish yourself?

The grant helped in two ways. Firstly a small living stipend and equipment grant definitely helped at the outset of my career. Secondly, and I think more importantly, it really helped to build a professional network... The Crafts Council helped to promote my work and really got me on the crafts radar. My work was included on the "Index of Selected Makers" which led to public and private commissions. I showed work at the Crafts Council Gallery shops, both at the Crafts Council itself and at the Victoria and Albert Museum, took part in Chelsea Craft Fair a number of times and generally felt very much part of the UK craft community.

When and why did you move to San Francisco, USA?

I moved here to San Francisco from London in 1999. My partner, Mike Holmes is one of the owners of Velvet da Vinci Gallery, here in SF.

You continue to have many commissions in both the UK and the USA can you expand on two?

The BBC Symphony Orchestra (1996)

This commission came from having work on the Craft Council's Slide Index… I was approached by the Orchestra and their graphic design company and produced a series of drawings and two dimensional wire pieces, which were photographed and used in publicity, posters, brochures and advertising for two seasons. I attended a number of rehearsals, making drawings of the players in a less formal situation than the concert hall would provide.

Hyatt Regency Hotel, Tampa, Florida USA (2006)

I've been lucky enough to have been commissioned to make a number of large scale bird commissions. The Tampa project is situated in a restaurant called "Oystercatchers" separated from the main hotel, in a bungalow style building right on the salt marshes and tropical mangroves of Tampa Bay. The commission consists of about 40 individual birds, of varying size and complexity. I think my work functions well in these kinds of projects on two levels. Firstly the open and visually "light" nature of my pieces allows for a large number of pieces in a space without the danger of the work becoming overwhelming. Secondly I arrange the pieces in a way that leads the eye around the room and animates the space, softening the hard straight lines and hopefully in bringing a little of the outside world in.

You call yourself a draftsman and metal worker, why?

I think of my work as illustrative. My work doesn't have a strict narrative I am as concerned with conveying character and gesture as I am in describing form and texture. I'm not particularly interested in metal working techniques, the image is the important thing and the technique aspect is secondary.

Tell us about the process your drawings take in the production of your work?

Drawing is always my starting point. I work in sketch book, preferably from life also from stuffed specimens or from photographs. At this point have an extensive library of images to work from.

I tend to make a sculpture using a number of drawings of the same thing, different angles, poses and details.

I love the freshness that drawing from life brings to my work… I try to keep my work varied and interesting, for myself as much as for my clients. I think getting out of the studio and drawing is essential for this. I make new drawings all the time and return years later to drawings and use them to make objects.

Eadweard Muybridge 1830-1904 had a profound effect on your work can you expand on this?

I was introduced to Muybridge's photographs by the enamelist Ros Conway, who was one of my art school tutors and Muybridge has continued to be a huge inspiration to me. His photos convey movement and gesture in such a thrilling way. They are beautiful as an end in themselves. I have been drawing and re-drawing from them for the last 18 years. I have also worked with a life model and re-created the human poses, working directly in wire from the model.
I guess the main aim in my work is to make staid objects the imply movement and in this Muybridge and myself have and had pretty much the same goal.

In more recent times, with the advent of digital technology, I have made my own videos of birds in motion, stop framed the video and made my own sequences a la Muybridge, drawing from the images on my computer screen and making sculptures from those drawings, this really opens top a world of new work and images.

One of my bigger exhibits was a solo exhibition at the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton MA. (Just outside Boston). The show was called "Drawing on Muybridge" and I exhibited work based directly on Muybridge sequences, horses, ostriches and elephants in addition to a 40 foot long sequence using my own video of a crane displaying at San Francisco Zoo.

Your work with birds and you explain about the work of several of them?

Roosters

I've been making roosters and chickens for years. They have a great combination of physical beauty, amazing plumage and balletic stance with a capacity for tremendous cruelty to each other. The skin on their heads is both beautiful and slightly repellent.

There's this great book published every year for well over 100 years by the American Poultry Council, called, if you can believe it, "The American Standard of Perfection" which in air-brushed photographs portrays the ever unattainable standard for each variety of chicken, the correct stance, angle of comb to head, numbers of tail feathers etc. I have a lovely copy from the 1930's, with photogravure plates of roosters and hens in perfect matched pairs.

I like this ugly / beautiful axis, and have also made a number of insect pieces which have a similar feel.

Ostriches (particularly your sub sequential ostriches.)

One of the things that I can imply in sculptural pieces which Muybridge was less able to convey is speed. I've experimented, especially in my ostrich pieces with spacing and overlapping … the denser the placement the faster the implied movement, the more spaced out the slower. I've always been more drawn to the long legged birds, cranes, herons, ostriches etc. I like the feeling of a body precariously balanced, then forcefully propelled forward, sometimes partially airborne, sometimes touching one toe on the ground

Your early training was in jewellery. When did you go big?

I studied Jewellery at Middlesex University in London in the late 80's early
90's. at that time the program was very much focused on large scale, body related sculpture type work. The faculty included Julia Manheim, Pierre Degen and Caroline Broadhead, so that, while we did have to learn traditional bench technique, the real focus was on alternative materials, appropriateness of materials and making, a personal exploration of form and ideas. I did make some jewellery and continue to produce jewellery on occasion.

The first of your work I saw was a Blue Bird with Orange beak, made of wood, recycled timber, stencilled enamel paint, ink, brass, and steel. He is so quirky. How did you come to this series?

For years now I've been making what I call "Bound Wire Birds", a dense wire body with a carved wood beak, gestural and fun and using poses from drawn studies in a freer kind of way.

More recently these have developed into a body of work making carved wood pieces. Having worked in black so much it's been fantastic to use colour!

Can you tell about your birds eyes, they seem to watch the viewer so intently?

So much is conveyed by gesture … in humans as well as animals. The turn of the head and the sudden beady eyed look can speak a thousand words!

You also do animals from life drawings can you elaborate on this?

I do make other animals, but am always drawn back to birds as my primary inspiration.

Tell us about your studio space?

I have a pretty large studio in the basement of the building I live in. It opens out onto the garden and I have a commute of about 1 minute! I don't share my studio with any other artists, but I do have two dogs who mostly hang out with me at work, unless it's sunny in the back yard in which case it's full on canine sunbathing …

What are you currently working on?

I'm currently working on a commission of 20 or so birds for a private residence.

Earlier in the year I made a group of 15 carved wood salt cellars in the form of birds so it's a nice change to be back working with wire again.

Email: thomaswhill@earthlink.net

Tom Hill, San Francisco, USA,

Interview by Deborah Blakeley, September, 2012

by Deborah Blakeley