Archive for May, 2008

MIPCES Exhibition: Cynthia Toops

ANEMONE HAT
polymer clay, brass, velvet, aluminum screen
7” diameter, 3 1/2”h
In the MIPCES catalog, Cynthia Toops wrote: “Dan and I create beads for elaborate jewelry pieces. For this project I wanted to make a full-size hat and imposed one restriction- no beads. We partially encased wire elements in polymer clay in a different way [...]

MIPCES Exhibition: Pier Voulkos

POCKETS AND PILLOWS OF AIR
2 ½’ x 3’ x 3″
For the MIPCES catalog, Pier wrote: “This unique clay softens before it hardens in the baking. So most often a large form needs some kind of internal or external armature to keep it from distorting or collapsing while it bakes. I tried air [...]

MIPCES Exhibition: Tory Hughes, Ola Nyingma

OLA NYINGMA
peace-pole, prayer-wheel
Approx. 14′ h
In 1996, when Tory Hughes first heard rumors about Michael Grove’s Wall of Polymer, she immediately sensed a creative challenge. I remember the sly smile on her lips, the emphatic quality of her voice when she swore not to be outdone by “the men.” If anybody was going to construct [...]

MIPCES Exhibition: Ruth Anne Grove & Michael Grove

Ruth Anne Grove, WAITING TO DISAPPEAR
wall mural, approx 15 feet wide
We all know and can appreciate the rallying cry of the 1970’s environmental movement, “Small is Beautiful.” Many polymer artists have put that aphorism into practice. Cynthia Toops made “small is beautiful” into what you might call a devotional practice, a religious worship.
So when the [...]