Rachel on May 01 2009 | Filed under: Critical Commentary, SOFA
After spending an intense week in New Jersey working on the museum collection project, several things came into focus. While examining, cataloging and organizing about a thousand pieces of work, it was very exciting to view the progress of the medium.
Rachel on Apr 10 2009 | Filed under: 1998, Critical Commentary, Ebendorf, Ford, Forlano
Ford/Forlano, Big Bead Necklace, 1998
Throughout time, artists have found countless sources of inspiration. Sometimes it comes from the world around them; the song of a bird, the curve of a face, or the color of a flower have all inspired art. Other times, an idea springs from something that is already integrated into an artist’s [...]
Rachel on Mar 20 2009 | Filed under: 2001, 2002, Critical Commentary, Gibson, Ink Transfer, Lazertran, Screen Printing
Gwen Gibson, Kabuki II Bracelet, 2002
Polymer, Lazertran image transfer, gold acrylic paint
Gwen Gibson has spent much of her artistic career creating wearable art. Long interested in surface design, Gwen’s initial approach to polymer was through the eyes of a painter. Because of this perspective, she sought out new directions with the medium. Her implementation [...]
Rachel on Feb 13 2009 | Filed under: Critical Commentary, DeWolff, Dever, Haunani, Malinow, McCaw, Savarick, Shriver, Toops, Voulkos, West, Winters
Debra DeWolff, Bracelet, 2007
“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” *
Expressions of love are numerous and vary from culture to culture. In many cultures, not only is holding hands a tangible connection between two people, it generally is an outward sign of affection. Wearing a bracelet that encircles the wrist in [...]
Rachel on Feb 06 2009 | Filed under: 2000, 2001, Critical Commentary, Zimmerman
It is difficult to view a sumptuously decorated medieval manuscript without being amazed by the high level of craftsmanship. The creation of an illuminated prayer book, such as the celebrated, Les Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, would have involved many skilled artists and artisans such as a scribe or scribes, a supplier of [...]
Rachel on Sep 26 2008 | Filed under: Critical Commentary
“The Ambassador of Handmade,” an article about the Do It Yourself (DIY) movement and one of its chief proponents, Faythe Levine, recently appeared in the New York Times. By the time I had finished reading the piece, it struck me that polymer serves as an ideal toggle between the world of fine craft and the [...]
Rachel on Jun 13 2008 | Filed under: Critical Commentary
In Jed Perl’s article, “The Artisanal Urge” American Craft (June/July 2008), he defends the “human desire to make something with one’s own hands” against the current stylistic trend of a more detached approach to creating art. Perl, an author of several books on art and the art critic for The New Republic, argues [...]
Rachel on Apr 15 2008 | Filed under: Blackford, Carlson, Critical Commentary, Dewey
The first time I encountered Leslie Blackford’s inventive creations was the summer of 2007. It was decidedly different from the figurative polymer work I had seen before. From the early days of polymer clay, many artists have found the material to be well suited to sculpting. Two notable artists who use [...]
Rachel on Apr 01 2008 | Filed under: 1980's, Critical Commentary, Hughes, Voulkos
Reading Kathleen Dustin’s essay on the early development of polymer clay, which has been so much of the PAA the past few weeks, brings to mind something Victoria Hughes wrote for the archive. Her piece, “On the Road” opens by mentioning a ride with Pier Voulkos and how the two of them were getting to [...]
Elise on Oct 13 2007 | Filed under: Critical Commentary
Listen to what two notable art critics have said about our dependence on historical roots:
The only road to authenticity lies through what has already been done. There is no deep art without deep historical awareness. Robert Hughes
All (craft) disciplines need a complex, multilayer sense of their own history to function properly. Paul Greenhalgh
As soon as [...]