Sculpture

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10217/180175

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Now showing 1 - 20 of 36

Open Access
Chelsea Gilmore: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Gilmore, Chelsea, artist
The artist's statement: Inspired by plant microbiology, these sculptures depict various organic and biomorphic forms taken from a microscopic perspective and translated as a macrocosm in physical space. This collection of work is an embodiment of transformation. There is a sense of decay and entropy while at the same time growth, aggregation, and accumulation. The dynamic existence of both chaos and order in nature allows sculptural material to transform in the same manner. The work takes on an anthropomorphic quality with a life of its own. I am attracted to the potential of the many. My practice is informed by material itself and its texture when repeated and multiplied. In nature, as well as machines, systems consist of a very specific configuration of repetition and multiples. By changing the pre-existing system and order of the objects I acquire, I create a new rhythm based on a reconfigured repetition. My process is methodical and based on detailed handcrafting, research of biological and mechanical systems, and transforming objects with a playful, ordered, and formal approach. I focus on creating forms that have an internal skeleton and a skin where the base and structure are paramount. When seeking out supplies, I look for commonly used objects that exist in mass quantities that have already served a utilitarian purpose. I give a new life into the materials by recontextualizing their form and disassembling them down from their core properties and purpose.
Open Access
Hannah Steiner: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Steiner, Hannah, artist
The artist's statement: Cancer cells are complex growths that produce enormous physical, mental and emotional damage. They are a manifestation of the sublime- the combination of terror and beauty. This contradiction is seeing the beauty in what destroys. Translating that experience into sculpture is the foundation of my work. My sculpture is a means of understanding ideas through material manipulation. The material and subject matter have contradictory associations. Fabric has a connection with comfort and the aesthetic of everyday life. Textiles are captivating and demanding Formal characteristics of composition, line, intensity, and form are another framework. Through these techniques, the domestic setting is also evoked- comfort and familiarity. They pose a challenge to organize a material into a rigid or pliable sculpture. Sewing, quilting, embroidery, dipping, modeling, stiffening, ribboning are techniques used to realize this contradiction. This challenge transforms into an entire embodiment of endless pursuit.
Open Access
Emily Somer: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Somer, Emily, artist
The artist's statement: I create sculptural narratives about relationships, human psychology, and emotions with clay. I collect from a variety of sources. They consciously affect my design decision or unconsciously influence my imagination. Shakespeare's long-lived popularity is due to the universal subject matter of his work: violent political transactions, social conformity, sexual identity, and gender. 21st century pop music contains similar, repeating themes. The reason for this popularity is the inclusion of, sometimes cheesy, conflicts and emotions every living human has to, or wants to, deal with. The most distinctive themes are forming interpersonal connections and losing that connection. I focus on creature forms because it is easy for humans to empathize with these forms. Humans love when puppies happily greet them. A yellow lab being euthanized is a huge source of grief. My work exhibits the opposite of the minimal aesthetic. The creatures I invent are cute. Cuteness creates a protective impulse. My sculptures capture power through this phenomenon. Instead of displaying a cold dominance the pieces work on two psychological levels. While a small dose of cuteness inspires calm and contemplative feelings a larger amount can evoke harmless expressions of aggression. After finding inspiration, I begin my creative process with sketches. The sketches that are most vivid tend to be derived from personal experiences. The sketches reference a specific emotion or word. However, my sculptures are more universally applicable than autobiographical. I want to be straightforward in my explorations of the moral and ethical issues we all face as quirky humans.
Open Access
Duncan Parks: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Parks, Duncan, artist
The artist's statement: My work addresses ideas and themes of analysis, the way we inhabit space and interact with domestic objects, the distortion and growth of forms, automation of process, and the use of craft processes in contemporary art. In the fall semester of 2012 I started working with the idea of deconstruction. This approach now underlies the majority of my practice. I was working with the image of a potted house-plant because it represents a dull vernacular facet of a domestic environment. A banal starting point proved important to exploring the way complexity develops as something is taken apart. Converting the domestic object to hand built polyhedra dislodged its immediately recognizable state. While the new object was considerably less complex than a houseplant it presented the information of form and composition that would normally be overlooked. I am fascinated by the way form and concept breakdown. The process of analysis produces a simplified version of the original idea, while simultaneously providing a more abstract and complex understanding. My work seeks to address this idea of reduced complex ideas of processes down to tangible objects and collections. This also mirrors the role of consciousness; consciousness - being aware - is a matter of simplification; to be aware is to be aware of something; this something is always a reduced version of what is really perceived by the direct senses. Systems also play a large role in my work. My process requires some kind of process in place to move forward. I invent varying levels of rather trivial systems to explain each aspect of my work and studio practice. In this way the works have a conceptual space they reside in. It provides a point of reference for analysis how the work functions. The use of systems also directly relate to the way I look at growth, decay and distortion of forms. Each piece starts with a simple set of rules to guide a number of processes. In some cases these rules relate to material concerns or technical processes. In other cases they restrict the way a concept can be used to guide decisions. These processes are repeated to expand the work and altered to accommodate the way the project develops. The use of systems to explore growth and decay relates to my interested Matt Shlian folded paper work. In a formal and technical sense it relates to work I have made in paper. Conceptually his approach interested me in how it addresses systems and repetition. He creates work because he is not sure what the result will be. It's a necessity to explore a process to experience the unknown result. It also ties into the idea of generative art. By using a simple set of rules and a large scale of iteration. In the piece Permutations I used an orthogonal grid and four rules to direct the form of drawings. By using the set of rules each drawing progressed or stopped. To explore all the possible permutations each drawing was traced after each mark was added. This allowed the drawing to systematically expand into all the possible forms the grid allowed. My interest in the use of craft processes really addresses how the hand of the artist is present in my work. Work made through means of digital fabrication and automation should be considered a collaboration between a person and a machine. Each must bring different attributes to the work for successful work. This is the point where digital fabrication becomes fascinating because it results in work that neither an artisan nor a machine would be capable independently. Craft also applies to the skill and precision to work in meticulous detail. This relates to way I look to Marco Maggi's work. He approaches each piece with an extreme sense of control and the ability to dictate each mark on the piece. He also use materials that are not that are not traditionally considered fine art mediums. I am extremely interested in the way process can transform material. That's not to say I am not interested in transformation of form, concept or idea. I don't know why. It's the ability to transform the blank into the object, or the drawing; this process that occurs between a work being a collection of raw media and a support to the creation of a work. It also relates to the idea of imbuing an item with value and personality through handling or manipulation I am interested in the meaning and form of domestic objects and the narrative they create. Domestic objects also express this idea of transforming something ordinary into an object of value through handling. Building a narrative of objects also provides a challenge because it is telling a story but removes all the typical signifiers of storytelling. It forces the viewer to better consider the way the objects express meaning and interact. The way we occupy space is fascinating. By existing we create form. To see is to create what is seen. The space, people, objects, and architecture and the space they inhabit and do not inhabit are constantly building compositions. Do Ho Suh work in fabric architectural spaces addresses ideas I am interested in. His work looks at how architecture functions when removed from primary setting. Normally a house separates the inside from the outside, providing shelter for its inhabitants. By constructing the house from silk it loses this function of protection and simply addresses. It looks at the significance of the structure and how it changes when dislodged from its ordinary environment. The house without its standard function becomes an expiration of space. My working process functions in a variety of ways. I am in a constant dialog between form, technique and concept. The work typically begins as an exploration in one of these three. I normally start a piece with a processes in mind. Each work evolves out of an overgrown experiment of technical approach. I work through the technique to explore what kind of feel or personality it gives to an object. While my work addresses a wide variety of idea concepts my approach of systems and aesthetic sensibility give the pieces continuity. Through analysis, deconstruction, and material experimentation I seek to understand the way ideas and concepts are connected.
Open Access
Jenna Phillips: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Phillips, Jenna, artist
The artist's statement: The more I observe the world around me, the more infatuated I am with the extraordinary similarities that all life forms seem to share, and drawing these connections is a process that is very important to me. I find the grotesque and disgusting parts of human anatomy uniquely beautiful and I am compelled to compare them to aspects of nature that are more universally seen as beautiful and interesting. These natural patterns are gifts hidden within our own bodies as well as the animal and plant biology surrounding us. As an artist I am interested in the idea that many biological phenomena in our world both look and function a like. The human brain has a wonderful tendency to pick up visual information and put it into a context that makes sense to them. Likewise our world works in a series of systems known as the systems theory. System theory is the transdisciplinary study of the abstract organization of phenomena, independent of their substance, type, or spatial or temporal scale of existence. These drawings were a study of comparing universally recognized plant and animal bits and comparing them to parts of our own bodies that may be recognizable to some but not necessarily identifiable. My paper and color choice was made to focus the viewer on the patterns and not necessarily the form. I enjoy the task of creating new anatomies and morphing different creatures into new forms that are neither dead nor alive but merely existing. These unifying factors have become less representative of the anatomy it comes from but rather works with other anatomies to show the elaborate decorations naturally given to us and our surrounding world.
Open Access
Miranda Molinar: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Molinar, Miranda, artist
The artist's statement: My artwork reflects on my interest in tattoos. Tattoos have influenced my art tremendously as well as created a new passion and life for my work both visually and conceptually. They are explored in my work through various ways such as through media, imagery, technique, style, content, etc. I have worked with various materials; such as latex, paints, markers, found objects, found images, various papers, sculpture, and paper folding to communicate my ideas. Each artwork embodies the idea of tattoo, although it may not always be apparent. Tattoos to me are much more than embellishing the body; they tell a story and bring life to a person's body. Through my work I investigate the cultural and ornamental significance they have to me, as well as show the world they create for me.
Open Access
Steven Meyers: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Meyers, Steven, artist
The artist's statement: The science of physics and engineering often influence my thinking and serve as a starting for making. The majority of my work involves some element of a physical force and goes through a process of planning and fabrication. Some of my fondest childhood memories involve building electromagnets, scouring though countless tins and jars of hardware, and prototyping my next break through invention. The apparatuses I create harness material qualities, movement, light, and sound. Simple in their being, they reference outside themselves the spiraling descent of a seedpod, the dry squeak of a porch swing, the glisten of a freshly washed car.
Open Access
Kelee Hamilton: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Hamilton, Kelee, artist
The artist's statement: My interests lie in the vastness of nature/sublime as represented in modern science and the awe-inspiring complexity and scale in technology. Planetary scientists often reference the need to study the cosmos in order to better understand ourselves. I have attempted to manipulate my materials to replicate scientific mysteries and facts found in outer space. After all, what I find most compelling about outer space is the mystery itself. I focus on scales large and small based on nature as the most sublime object, capable of generating the strongest sensations in its beholders. I want to share a sense of awe and wonder that I feel when looking at or researching our universe. I want to share a sense of awe-inspiring and grandiose. The portion of nature that I am most interested in is outer space. Astronomical science has always been a strong motif in my work because of our connections to the universe. As put by Carl Sagan, "Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality."
Open Access
Cicelia Ross-Gotta: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Ross-Gotta, Cicelia, artist
The artist's statement: Performance art creates an immersive experience for the viewer from which they cannot disengage. It places the viewers back in their body as active witnesses or participants in an experience that is unfolding around all of us. In my performances, objects are altered through intentionally unrehearsed action, allowing for a blurring of the distinction between performer and audience. My interest in creating a sense of shared experience stems from my parents' occupations. As Presbyterian chaplains, they were adept at establishing connectivity within their congregation in impromptu and unconventional places. However, while they were focused on communing about god and Christianity, my interests are secular, and focus on themes of gender, identity, the body, skin, and spirituality. These themes are explored through layers of video, sound, physical action, object, installation, and interactivity in a single work. The materials vary from steel to wood, fibers to found object, dirt to paint and performance to video projection. Integral to my process, this accrual of layers creates depth, texture, skin, and ephemerality. The triad of object, action and artifact act as an additional layer and guiding framework for my performances. Object is simply the initial thing that I make. Action is how the performance alters the object and creates new meaning. Artifact is the object transformed, what remains after the fact, pregnant with history, displayed in conjunction with video documentation of the performance. The shared experience of the object transformed engenders another transformation: from a space that is simply co-inhabited by the audience, to a space that is held by a moment of community.
Open Access
Molly Bjustrom: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Bjustrom, Molly, artist
The artist's statement: The Eleventh Hour Final: Installation. Flashforbe Pro 3D Printer and Makerbot 3D Printer displayed in found 1960's television sets, PLA and ABS plastic crystals, mirrored acrylic, LED lights, filing drawers; chakra wall hangings, crocheted blanket-covered floor pillows, coffee table; found objects include: layered rugs, floor lamp, curtains, crystal reference books, 9' x 10' x 12'. This living room installation was inspired by Edward Kienholz, a 1960's Funk and Socio-political artist, thus the title of this work specifically addresses his 1968 installation. I wanted to evoke the comforting atmosphere of an average living room from the late 60's. And like Kienholz, I then wanted to break that atmosphere with the focus shifted to one object: the running 3D Printer installed in a 1960's television. Unlike Kienholz, the question I ask is much lighter in context than the Vietnam War. I ask: What can technology that seems so remote and far away mean to most people in the familiar setting of their middle class homes? Jellyfish Installation No. 2: Installation. Molded plastics, EL wire, LED, fiber optics, blue flood lights, aluminum wire mesh, wire, tulle, yarn, felt, ribbon, various textiles, beads and found objects (includes plastic bottles, scarves, doilies, skirts, lace veils, crocheted pieces, and sewing materials, fishing tackle). 12' x 14' x 19'. "Some ancient healers who hold the belief that the tapestry of true spiritual knowledge is held within the transparent form of the jellyfish". - Ina Woolcott. Jellyfish symbolize acceptance and faith; they embrace and trust that All That Is will provide the necessities for them to thrive. They trust that the oceans' currents and that the strong winds will urge them on The Path that they must go-they possess almost no ability to travel on their own. Jellyfish are blessed with the virtue of floating in harmony with life's path rather than trudging through life's currents. Meditate on your life-are you flowing with life in a balanced manner or are you squandering, drifting aimlessly and overlooking Dharma-to dynamically cross the currents toward your Karma. Look within yourself and contemplate the jellyfish, through this balance can be realized.
Open Access
Courtney Diedrich: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Diedrich, Courtney, artist
Open Access
Katherine Foster: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Foster, Katherine, artist
The artist's statement: My work focuses on infertility and sexuality. Balancing work as an artist while actively filling the role of a homemaker is important to me to feel like a whole person. My work reflects these roles and concepts through material choice, form and the use of multiples. Burlap symbolizes the female as having a utilitarian purpose, childbearing. The unraveling and aging of materials show disintegration surrounding fertility. Organic forms reinterpretations of things which typically cannot be seen, hang lifeless and massed. Nylon leggings are representative of feminine beauty. My work is produced through processes traditionally seen as women's work, such as sewing, embroidery, weaving and crochet. I use multiples of similarly shaped objects to explore spatial relationships and create tension. Of personal interest to me are the spatial relationships between the multiple objects and how that forces an interaction, this includes with the viewer.
Open Access
Michael Mayfield: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Mayfield, Michael, artist
The artist's statement: How can we understand an object when the maker no longer exists? What meaning do artifacts retain when removed from their original context? These sculptures originated as African artifacts from the collection of historian Dr. David Riep. They were scanned into the computer and then carved from foam using a 3-axis CNC milling Machine. This process both removes and adds information to the surface of the objects. The original imagery is layered with incongruous materials, textures, and colors. These distorted facsimiles mock the cursory scanning of an average museum visitor. The work raises questions of art history and anthropology, by presenting a confusing and garish display of distorted sculptures, from cultures real and imagined.
Open Access
Kevin Moore: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Moore, Kevin, artist
The artist's statement: My art merges video games with the process of digital fabrication. Computer aided design software allows me to construct 3D models or objects, similar to the way objects are built for video games. These programs have become more accessible and user-friendly. I can deconstruct a 3D model and create templets to rebuild the form into physical sculptures. The faceted surfaces relate to the look of older video games and technology. The choice in materials and the fabrication process are vital components of the finished piece of work. I use paper and metal, with paper, the process is like origami or paper folding. I have explored evoke different emotions through the use of repetition in form and changing the scale. Within metal, the process is more industrial, cutting, welding, chasing, and finishing. In this investigation of the physical and virtual, the use of metal adds another layer of permanence. When I was a kid, I was immersed in virtual worlds, wondering what it would be like to walk alongside weird creatures, friendly characters, or experience the vast digital world.
Open Access
Marcus Stevenson: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Stevenson, Marcus, artist
The artist's statement: My approach to making is to adapt, collage, and re-contextualize imagery and objects which helped to form my worldview. Using woodworking techniques, I combine recycled objects, marbles, electric motors, found and bought hardware, and all kinds of mechanical arrangements to create tension between tradition and the novelty. For example, my 'Lectric Tricycle Drones consist of a simple motor circuit in combination with wheels and a monorail system. The name of the work evokes the new wave of hi-tech, autonomous vehicles, but the wooden construction, finish quality, and lack of utilitarian purpose hearken back to a time where toys and games were less about bells and whistles, and more about deriving enjoyment from simplicity. I feel it is important to make art which is accessible in its visual vocabulary, and also an honest translation of my worldview. Since it's hard or even impossible to encapsulate an entire worldview into a single object, I aim to parse aspects of my worldview and human experience into the objects I make. Toys seem to offer the next generation an instance of the values of previous generations. I think we behave as if the creation of new ideas categorically invalidates old ideas, and this is often to our detriment as a society. Ultimately, I have to admit that my foremost goal as an artist is to entertain, and then to sneak what little wisdom I have through the door in the process. At the end of the day, I'm still just a kid who wants to have fun, and share it, too.
Open Access
Taylor Heir: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Heir, Taylor, artist
The artist's statement: A sculpture is the result of manipulating ideas and materials in a physical procedure carried out over a significant stretch of time. As I execute this procedure, ideas develop, intentions change and the work slowly decides how it wants to evolve. Suddenly my broad plan to simply make something interesting has taken on a life of its own as I sift through endless waves of good and bad ideas. These ideas emanate from the piece and increase in intensity as the process goes on. Focusing on the physicality and tangibility of sculpture, my work relies on the explorative aspects of the process to reach the final product. As I develop a sculpture I am continuously making decisions that forever decide the outcome of the piece and trust in my intuition to guide me through uncertainty. Like forks in a road I work my way through these decisions slowly as the path ahead becomes more narrow and clear. Soon enough, I reach a point where the uncertainty fades and I can anticipate the exact route I want to take to pull my work together.
Open Access
Reanna Nelson: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Nelson, Reanna, artist
The artist's statement: I am interested in the complex interactions we have with the landscape around us. The metaphorical meeting places between humans and our environment - the connections we form with the land, the use and management decisions that are made, the effect that natural disasters have on us - reveal that changes made to the land are never purely ecological, but are reflections of culture. My work recognizes the dual view we tend to have of the natural environment as both a resource for us to use and as an untouched place to be preserved. While there are increasing uncertainties about what purpose nature should serve and what our role in the landscape should be, it is true that the way we perceive the land is inextricably linked to the values we place upon it and ultimately the decisions we make about its treatment.
Open Access
Sebastian Smith: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Smith, Sebastian, artist
The artist's statement: Through my work, I aim to bring to the forefront of our experience the universal thoughts, emotions, and experiences that connect us as humans. I am fascinated by the human figure and juxtaposing it with formal abstract forms to create this unifying experience between viewers. An angry face, a grasping hand, these are actions which every viewer can understand and relate to. Similarly, formal, abstract forms such as sharp points or soft edges play on our visual vocabulary in an almost universal way. The abstractions juxtaposed with the figure create a dialogue which enriches the viewers understanding and connection to the piece that the use of one of these elements could not do. Using these elements in three dimensional space allows for the viewer to connect with it in a natural manner as our experience of life is in three dimensions. It also allows me to utilize various materials that add to the content of the piece. For example, steel is strong and structural, stone has a rich historical background in the decorative arts, and clay is of the earth as we are. These often unconscious associations help to direct the viewer to the concepts I wish to convey.
Open Access
Abigail Galvin: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Galvin, Abigail, artist
The artist's statement: Through documentation or metaphor, I seek to understand how both our sense of agency and our sense of restriction are deeply tied to an awareness of our own bodies. The result of this process is two interrelated series of work. On one hand, I use abject elements of the body to analyze issues of identity and control. On the other hand, motion and interaction explore an ecstatic sense of freedom and connection. In all of the work, the human body is focused on as an interface where these conflicting senses merge and create tension.
Open Access
Devan Kallas: capstone
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Kallas, Devan, artist
The artist's statement: My works are tied together by the line of intimacies and are deducted by the space of neglect. They take various forms and range in topic but all stem from a sense of self and emphasize importance of the temporary. I am motivated by the boundaries of a contemporary self, pushing and poking at the limits of comfort, if it's not made with an uncertainty it is not made at all. Most recently my art has seeded from a politically charged idea and manifested itself with a poetic movement. Each piece has a specific motivation and intent; I believe each is made with purpose not just simple aesthetic appeal.

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