Autumn
Perhaps the most profound mysteries are
those with many answers. How do we take bits of input and inspiration and turn
them into a gift. For some reason I saved a piece of “art” I created as an
eight year old: autumn leaves of many shapes and colours, collected on a school
trip, pressed onto a pile of fluffy white milkweed seeds (Ontario) and pressed
behind glass with a simple frame. Perhaps that experience nudged me towards the
years I spent in environmental management. I wonder if others have childhood memories that seem
particularly persistent and influential? What creates those mysterious moments?
Oddly enough, the milkweed montage was the
inspiration for my daughter’s making me this gift for Christmas. Why did she
choose that particular item as a springboard for her own creativity? How do
children grow up into surprising adults?
If this is all too abstract for a real
mystery, you might think about:
What is this
made of? and
How was it made?
(We’ll have to ask my daughter that one)
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Not sure I understand the
Not sure I understand the question but it looks like copper. Over time copper oxidizes and turns green but it does require moisture so providing you have kept it in a dry place this whole time it would still hold the original color. (just like the rood of our parliament buildings in Ottawa)
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Single material
Yes, it is primarily a single material. More tonight or tomorrow.
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Perspective
Blur the context, and we create our own reality. The power of pictures is how they ignite our imagination. What I see in the concrete world - my left-brain - is simplistic and practical; in the abstract/right brain world it is far more intriguing, particularly if there is meaning ascribed to it...
Randy
Co-host
Earth ist ein korn des staubes im universum
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Practical or not
Interesting thoughts. And it's also interesting that we associate mystery with practical, deductive thinking in our culture. I wonder if non-western cultures have different assumptions about mystery?
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Could possibly be a more
Could possibly be a more pliable material (i.e. clay, plasticine) that has been glazed or painted.
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Allison represents Britain in the League of Notions
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The "simple" answers
I won't try to answer my own philosophical questions, but I will confirm that it is made of copper. I did intend to post a less mysterious picture of the sculpture, but there is no attachment link. So hopefully my profile pic now shows more detail. I agree that it's a beautiful piece and will leave it up to my daughter to jump in and explain how she did it :) Thanks for your ideas and questions.
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The reveal...
I'm delighted that this gift for my Mom provoked some thought about the nature of inspiration and the way that each of us builds an identity from so many seemingly trivial experiences. I don't ever recall hearing her muse about the childhood leaf collection steering her into environmental management, but when I was looking for inspiration for her gift, that leaf collection was representative in my mind of her love for the outdoors and her identification with her environmental work.
As she confirmed, the sculpture is copper. It is made up of six main pieces: the background and five leaves (plus a hoop on the back for hanging). The background and leaves were shaped almost exclusively with hammer-blows, though I did use some sharp-edged tools to "punch" some of the veining into the leaves. The leaves were welded onto the background from behind. I used the heat from a torch to create the colours in the copper as well as an acid-based patina to darken it. I used a resist agent to draw the most delicate veining. The darkening patina was repelled by the resist, which I washed off afterwards. When complete I sealed it with a clear lacquer.
In my work with metal I make use of many techniques to change the final appearance of the product. Over the years I've heard my work described as being like and even mistaken for such materials as wood, leather, concrete, granite, marble and other types of stone. While identification is easier first-hand than through a photo, I enjoy that I can challenge people's perceptions about metal.
Thanks everybody!
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I Knew They Were Leaves!
Here's another photo that piqued my curiousity. I figured out that I was looking at leaves of some sort, but what were they made of? Were they paper mache' ? Were they carved? Were they dried? The lighting was nice too. A pretty picture indeed!
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Autumn art
This is Virginia's daughter... I think that it's wood. The way the light is hitting it
and the way that you can kind of see the grains makes it look like wood. I think
that each piece was individually carved, then glued to a background and to each
other. It's beautiful by the way.