Seasons of our Lives

Seasons of our Lives
J.M. Syron & Bonnie Bishoff, Begin, 2009 memory cabinet, two views, 6″ wide, 14″ deep, 60″ high walnut, polymer veneers using millefiori marquetry techniques

Recently we have been exploring ways in which polymer artists have found inspiration from tradition craft techniques in other media.  In this new work by the team of J.M. Syron and Bonnie Bishoff, the inspiration comes from a different source. Bonnie comments about the work, saying:

“We built this cabinet in the fall as our older son moved away from home and started his first year in college.  It is about the inevitability of beginning a journey, the inhale, the moment you start, the anticipation of something somewhat known and greatly unknown; the sadness of things that will never be the same and the thrill of new worlds unfolding. The one side depicts a robin taking off on its migration in the first snow storm of the fall- when is the very moment of the journey decided? The other side shows the eggs in the spring flowers bursting forth so much beautiful anticipation and announcement of life and new growth springing forth. This piece was designed to be primarily decorative with a minor bit of function for storing something very sweet and memorable.”

Darkness to Light, 2010
Darkness to Light, 2010
41”W x 13 “H  x 1“D
polymer millefiori marquetry, cherry backing , gold leaf paint

“This triptych wall piece is inspired by the light that passes through the leaves and branches outside my windows as I practice yoga in the early mornings. As the seasons change the light changes and I change, I think of this Vedic Chant:

Take me from darkness to light
Take me from unknowing to knowing my own true nature
Take me from death to immortality.”

I cannot remember a time in my life that I wasn't interested in looking at art, talking about art and the making of art. In 1990 I earned a Phd in art history at the University of Maryland. My first experiences with polymer clay were in 1992, but I consider my real work with the medium to date from 1999.