New Growth: Jasmyne Graybill

New Growth: Jasmyne Graybill
Jasmyne Graybill, Crested Buttercream Polyps-detail 2008, polymer, muffin pan, 12″ x 8″ x 2″

It is always good to discover artists doing exciting things with polymer. Jasmyne Graybill’s work is part of a recent article by Monica Moses, “Fungus Among Us” in the August/September 2012 issue of American Craft.  While not the most appealing topic, albeit relevant for our current hot summer months, Graybill uses polymer to mimic mold, lichen and fungi growing unchecked on  what are mostly common household objects.

Graybill explores the relationships of closed ecosystems of growth on inanimate objects in ways that are both startling and thought provoking.  The intimacy of these small organic colonies seems particularly enhanced by the domestic and specific functions of the man-made base object.  Graybill’s work in polymer integrates seamlessly into the larger body of craft represented in Moses’ article, which all together features nine artists exploring fungus via different materials and to different ends.

J. Graybill, Stubbleneck Barnacles 2008, polymer, razor, 5" x 1 1/2"
J. Graybill, Stubbleneck Barnacles
2008, polymer, razor, 5″ x 1 1/2″
jasmyne graybill fungus steamer basket
J.Graybill, Specklebelly
2011, polymer, steamer basket
7” x 7” x 5”
J.Graybill, Unknown Specimens
J.Graybill, Unknown Specimens
2010, polymer, Petri dish, latex
3 ½ “ d

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.