iMAGiNETHAT!

This coming weekend I’ll have the great pleasure of teaching a visual arts workshop at Upham Woods Educational Center located in Wisconsin Dells.  So here are some photographs of the sample pieces I’ve created for my young artists this weekend.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT #I series of sculptures created from metal, ceramic and glass

These sample pieces of artwork are a visual reminder to all the  2016 Wisconsin 4-H Art Beat participants as to how I had arranged my bent silverware. I also want to remind the participants that when creating focal points I suggest that you use an odd number and place the focal points in a triangle, so the viewers eye will travel throughout the composition.  It’s important not to place your creation in the middle of the base.  If the sculpture is placed off center and/or if focal points or parts of a sculpture hang over the side of a base, it will catch the viewers eye.  To create tension in my sculptures I have marbles  that appear to be falling off the spoons and onto another spoon or I have to pieces of silverware almost touching !  I created a spoon that appears to be much longer in length than it’s actual size and forks that appear to be interacting with each other as they move or balance a long orange rod.

I used ceramic tiles, glass and metal as my materials because these materials visually compliment each other.  They are inexpensive materials, yet these materials have richness and polished quality when  they are used together in a composition.

I like to have the base of my compositions lifted off the table surface because it gives the artwork a stronger sense of presence. If you look at the photograph of each sculpture I will give more specific information listed explaining it’s design.

The reason for using the metal silverware as a main material is because of the Upham Sisters (Elizabeth and Caroline  Upham ) that donated the 315 acres of land that makes up Upham Woods. Elizabeth Upham  created artwork using metals. Her metalwork was on exhibit at the Milwaukee Art Museum and jewelry created from metal was on exhibit at the Chicago Art Institution, Chicago Ill. 

So to honor the Upham Sisters on the 75th Anniversary of Upham Woods,  I’ve  chosen metal as a main  material for the 4-H Art Beat Campers to create with this weekend.