Winters, Bishoff: A Final Look at Sculpting Color

Elise Winters, Red RUFFLE Ruche, 2009
polymer, acrylic
8 x 9 x 1″, promised gift, Newark Museum

My artist’s statement read:

“Concern for color and light has followed me through every phase of my artistic career.

Early on, my first masters’ project addressed light patterns in translucent porcelain which I created by manipulating thickness and texture.  As I potter, I found joy in twisting, pulling and shaping that pliable material into full organic forms. Then, years as a photographer allowed me to explore the ephemeral quality of light and color in nature… the reflective shimmer off a rippling stream, the delicate shifting colors of the evening sky, the iridescences of creatures in a tidal pool, the blush of color on the skin of rip fruit.

My current work in polymer affords me the opportunity to merge all these concerns. I use specially formulated metallic acrylic paints and iridescent glazes to create shimmering luminous color effects over the polymer. The result is a seductive convergence of additive and subtractive color mixture allowing me to play with all the dimensions of color and light over the surface of my jewelry.”

Bonnie Bishoff & JM Syron, Meander Credenza(left), 2008
Japanese tamo, ash, marquetry veneer, and polymer clay.
32 x 64 x 24″, promised gift, Racine Art Museum

Bonnie Bishoff & JM Syron, Iris Cabinet, 2008
African mahogany, bubinga, marquetry veneer, and polymer clay
62 x 24 x 18″

Bishoff and Syron’s statement read:

“We have been collaborating on the design and fabrication of furniture since 1987. The lines of our work have grown out of a love for the sensuous forms found in the natural world, and the curvaceous styles of furniture that have been developed throughout history, from ancient Chinese furniture and Native American carvings, to more modern Art Deco and Art Nouveau. Our focus on surface design, texture, and the marriage of materials mirrors the exuberance and transforming patterns found in the natural world.”