The show opened in April 2017 and closes at the end of October and was installed in the rotunda of the building that houses the American Center for Physics in College Park, Maryland.
The rotunda includes four sets of dark-paneled curved shelves with lighting. My work in them had the effect of a cabinet of curiosities and the sculptures looked even more like the biological specimens that had inspired many of them. Most of my work was high-shrinkage flax paper over steel armatures. A few had gut instead of paper, and a few also had no covering at all. I made this work over the past six years, so it covers a few series – marine creatures (shells and blastoids), microscopic organisms (radiolarians and viruses), vessel forms, and abstracted volumes. It was a treat to be asked to take the opportunity to review this work and think of it as as a representative portfolio, revisiting my inspirations and technical solutions while considering what to make next.
CASE 1
CASE 2
CASE 3
CASE 4
I had to select work that would fit into the closed shelving, so I was limited to work no more than 10″ deep. This have me the opportunity to think about the flow between objects a bit differently than usual. Sarah Tanguy’s keen eye, both in helping to select the work in my studio and in placing the pieces on site, was immeasurable.
Here are the pieces in the show:
CASE 1
Sea Urchin Bracelet (2012, flax over steel, 6” high x 10” wide x 10” deep)
Large Echinoid (2012, flax over steel, 6” high x 10” wide x 10” deep)
Radiolarian (2014, flax over steel, 13” x 13” x 13”)
Dodecamer Protein (2011, flax over steel, 20” high x 20” wide x 8” deep)
Rough Seas (2012, flax over steel, 20” long x 8” high x 8” deep)
CASE 2
Elizabethan Urchin Necklace (2011, flax over steel with brass, fine silver, freshwater pearls, and gold leaf, 12” wide x 9” deep x 2.25” high)
Chrysalis Fibula Pin (2016, flax over gold-filled wire with freshwater pearls and fine silver, 6” high x 1.5” wide x 2.5” deep)
Medium Printed Squash Vessel (2012, flax over steel with acrylic print, 8.5” long x 6.5” wide x 6” high)
Small Printed Squash Vessel (2011, flax over steel with acrylic print, 6” long, x 3” wide, x 4” high)
Gestation Sculpture (2012, flax over steel, 5” high x 12” wide x 5” deep)
Point of Impact - Arrowhead sculpture (2013, flax and abaca over steel, 18” high x 10” wide x 6.5” deep)
CASE 3
Delineated Conch (2012, flax over steel, 12” long x 8” wide x 6” high)
Rusty Conch (2012, flax over steel, 5” high x 8” long x 6” deep)
Six-sided Echinoid (2017, gut over brass, 6.5” high x 3” diameter) and Nudibranch (2017, gut over steel, 2.75” high x 6.5” long x 3” wide)
Organic Boat (2017, steel with enamel paint, 9” long x 4.5” wide x 4” high)
Melon Vessel (2017, steel with enamel paint, 12” long x 9” wide x 7” high)
Two New Flax Squash Vessels (2017, flax over steel, 13” long x 6” wide x 5” high and 8” long x 5” wide x 6” high)
CASE 4
Skeleton Nautilus (2011, flax over steel, 16” high x 16” wide x 8” deep)
Fat Nautilus (2017, flax over steel, 16” high x 16” wide x 8” deep)
Contain/Release – Virus Vessel (2011, flax over steel5.5” high x 10” diameter)
Baroque Nautilus (2015, gut over steel, 6” diameter x 2.5” deep)
Printed Blossom Melon (flax over steel with acrylic print, 2011, 4” high x 7” wide x 4” deep)
Blastoid (2012, flax over steel, 10” high x 8” wide x 8” deep)