MIPCES Exhibition: Elise Winters

If you are a new visitor to Polymer Art Archive, you can find background about this event in the 2 posts, Past, Present Future and All About MIPCES.

This fan brooch was one of a series I made for the exhibition. Each was inspired by or made as a tribute to one of my colleagues in the MIPCES exhibition. In this piece, the 18 colors of the thread mosaic create an illusion of dimensionality on a folding fan.

For the MIPCES catalog, I wrote:

“Throughout my career as both an artist and a teacher, I’ve held to what some may consider an outdated ideology; that artistic enrichment comes more from the cooperation than competition.
When I first touched polymer clay, when I felt the myriad possibilities of this seductive material unfold beneath my hands, a relationship began. But only after I came to know my colleagues in the polymer community did I finally fall in love. Those artists seemed to be free of the kind of guardedness I’ve seen and felt elsewhere in the art world; instead, they burned with enthusiasm to spread the word and share in the quest, to expand our understanding of this challenging new medium. I knew I wanted to link hands with them- and I have.”

Take a close up look at the brooches and see if you can guess who inspired each.

The largest of the 3 presentation boxes is covered in violet silk with gold paper liner hiding a steel plate. Pairs of tiny rare earth magnets hold each brooch in place and also serve as the means to attach the brooch to a garment.

The second collection was presented in a black and gold silk box

The third box is covered in blue handmade Japanese paper and lined with ecru rice paper.

Answers to the Inspiration Quiz:

Presentation Box 1, left to right:

Lindly Haunani, Translucent Mokume Gane

Michael Grove, based on his Flora Fauna series

Cynthia Toops, Thread Mosaic simulating the dimensionality of a folded fan

Pier Voulkos, Translucent Foil Canes

Presentation Box 2, left to right:

Cynthia Toops, from a polymer mosaic workshop

Nan Roche, remnant from construction of the illustration for her book

Tory Hughes, remnant from a phototransfer workshop

Presentation Box 3:

City Zen Cane (aka Ford/Forlano) Ikat Cane