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Q:
So what do you call this technique?
A.
My pieces are created using a traditional coiling technique, one
that has been used for centuries although I have employed it in a
radically different way than “normal” geometric shapes. It’s a style
I call “Fiber Sculpture” and it’s of my own invention.
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Q.
How do you start?
A.
I begin by selecting the kind of pine needle to use, the color(s)
of waxed linen and the beads or other inclusions. Then I choose a
"start" from among several options.
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I
pick from among 5 different kinds of needles, depending on the
amount of flexibility I envision the piece to require: |
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–
Montezuma
–
native to N. Baja and S. California; needles can grow up to
2 ft. long
–
Chir
–
a Himalayan pine that has been adapted to warmer climates
in the US
– Canary
Island –
a common landscaping pine
–
Ponderosa Pine –
a type of pine found in California
–
Long-leaf Pine –
grows in abundance in the Southeastern US
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Every
piece begins with a bunch of pine needles about the thickness of a
pencil, used in one of the following ways: |
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–
wrapping the coil to a certain length, then bending it
upon itself and attaching the
next
row to the beginning row,
or
–
casting needles onto a brass ring that has been covered with waxed
linen and
embellished with a woven center
pattern (this is called a teneriffe
after the lace
designs produced by craftswomen in
the Azores) or
–
attaching the needles to an interestingly cut piece of gourd which
I’ve dyed with
leather dyes and in which I drilled
holes,
or
–
casting a group of needles around a walnut slice or “donut” of
some semi-precious
stone such as turquoise or jasper or
–
winding a wrapped coil of needles around a piece of wood or other
found object
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Once
the "start" is made, every coil is sewn into the
one beneath it. |
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Q.
Do you have a plan when you start?
A.
I have no preconceived notion of how the piece will develop. I
follow the lead of the materials. Every natural material has a
bias and, as I add more pine needles into the coil to keep it a
uniform thickness the direction the coil wishes to go alters
slightly. I merely let the materials go where they wish. Thus,
each piece is a completely unique conversation between me and the
materials.
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Q.
How do you know when a piece is finished?
A.
The materials stop talking to me.
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Q.
How long does a piece take to make?
A:
I literally have no idea – because I never work on just one
piece straight through, start to finish. I always have 4 or 5
pieces going at one time, each in its own state of completion.
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Q.
You must have a lot of patience.
A. I don't see it that way. Instead, I find the act
of creating my art to be soothing and meditative, something
I'd do even if I didn't get paid for my
artwork
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Q.
How did you learn to do this?
A.
I am also a novelist and, 15 years ago, in doing research for my
second historical novel, Mission: the Birth of California, the
Death of a Nation, I needed to get inside the skin of my main
character, Web, a young Native American basketmaker. To do so, I
took a basketry class from some Native American (Kumeyaay, the
natives of San Diego and N. Baja) women. I liked the process of
making that first basket so much that I took other, more advanced classes
until settling on a preference for pine needle fiber sculpture. But,
after a few months of making “regular” shapes, I grew bored
enough to try something different. That “something different”
became my own personal style, called Fiber Sculpture.
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Q.
You must have a lot of patience
A:
I don’t see it that way. Instead, I find the act of creating my
art to be soothing and meditative, especially after spending the
day working on my novels.
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Q:
What’s that thread you’re using?
A:
Waxed linen. Linen is one of the strongest natural fibers and the
waxing holds each stitch. The thread is currently manufactured in
just one place in the world – Belfast, Northern Ireland.
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Q.
How do you come up with the names of the pieces?
A. Generally, the name pops up sometime during the
making of a piece. Sometimes it's a song that I hear playing
or a spoken phrase or a dream suggestion. Sometimes the
piece tells me what it wants to be called. Whatever the
name, there's always a story involved with the sculpture and
the name.
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Q.
Do you have a Website?
A. Yes, the URL for it is www.studio-casa-cielo.com.
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Q.
Where can I get one of your sculptures?
A. My work is shown all across the US in exhibitions
and galleries. By contacting me through my Website www.studio-casa-cielo.com
I can direct you to a gallery near you.
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