what we think we become

August 8, 2020 Cindee Klement

I started this piece 1 1/2 years ago but neglected to have it photographed until this week. Seeing it through the photographer’s eye, it has an additional layer of meaning in 8/2020.

Originally it was a maquette for a memorial piece. We ended up going a different path for the memoriam. Personally I was happy this piece emerged from the event and cast it in bronze. It resonates with me because years ago I became fascinated, completely sucked in by modern neurology. Neurology was my obsession. I read everything a Mom could get her hands on. My favorite was Phantoms in the Brain by V. S. Ramachandran. The brain is amazing and especially since neurologists have learned that it is plastic and is changed with everything you do, everything you tell yourself or others tell you changes your brain. This knowledge is what gives every human a chance for hope. Dreaming is the first step, and self-talk is hugely important. You can control how you see the world, and how you see yourself, “fake it until you make it works“. What you think you will become”.

The additional layer - living through a pandemic is choosing how one reacts to stressful and depressing situations. Humans choose how we react and how we see. “what you think you will become”. The texture of the piece is composed of repetitive arched lines, they are mirrored in the profiles/contours of the work. It is an abstract sculpture but I clearly read “what we think we become”. What we look for we will find, 8/2020 is a good time to control your thoughts and look for the light. If you look for it you will find it.

“what you think you become”bronze12” X 4” X 3” — “what you think you become”
bronze
12” X 4” X 3”

Same Time Next Year 2017, 2018, 2019

June 24, 2020 Cindee Klement

Same Time Next Year, is an annual survey of organic found objects preserved in the form of a bird’s nest cast in bronze. I retrieved these objects in a given year. I started making these modern-day fossils in 2013; each piece is a smidgen of a historical record of the natural world found in urban Texas. I include things I pick up gardening, walking my dog, flipping my compost bin, and daily outdoor chores. They are things that find me; I never go out hunting for them however I am always looking. Neighborhoods today are exceptionally manicured to the point of being sterile as opposed to full of life. Mosquito home misting machines and heavy weed control chemical additives keep the insects, birds and available organic matter relatively bland. I am campaigning to change the landscapes of urban settings. One day I hope there will be a greater diversity of found materials.

This year I am playing catch up and created the pieces for years 2017, 2018, 2019, in these pieces, there are bug casings, dried flowers, bug carcasses, twigs, wings, feathers, leaves, seeds a beetle, cicada and a dead bee. In January - March, I coated them in wax, sprued them up, dipped them to make the shell, and did two burnouts at the MFAH Glassell studio school foundry, and then the COVID 19 quarantine kicked in.

The MFAH responsibly closed the school but allowed us to pick up any work. I picked up the shells and took them to Legacy Fine Arts Foundry. They are great people, I have used them on several occasions on projects over the last six years. Their work is phenomenal; they finished burning out the shells and cast them, broke off the shells, cut off the sprues, and sandblasted the nests. I could break off the shells, but I have torn my shoulder twice, breaking off shells. I am so grateful for their help and enjoy working with them. I am excited to have the pieces cast, and I am ready to do the finish work and patina.

Below are the images I took as I worked on the three nests.

Creating a system to get bronze into the sculpture.

The sprue system after the first dip in slurry.

Drying after the last dip to build the shell.

My tools to cut off the top of the cup and blind vents. The wax will drain out if the tuop of the cup. I also drill holes to keep the shell from cracking as the wax expands in the furnace.

The pieces at legacy as Victor is breaking off the shells.

The three nests and some small bronze casting to use for studio visit gifts.

Nash Baker is my art photgrapher, Nash lost his photography studio to a fire studio during COVID. I will wait to have these pieces photographed when he is back in operation.

Sapling #9 to kindling - finish details

June 16, 2020 Cindee Klement

The finish can make or break a sculpture. I decided to lightly ground down the gritty textured surface on the concrete branches and polished the leaves. The highly detailed branches contrast with the simple almost primitive or crude Leaf-like forms. The leaves are smooth except any fingerprints and marks accidentally made by the process. The roughly made leaves have more energy and life than a realistically detailed leaf.

I made the leaves by pouring a thin sheet of wax and then tore leaf shapes out of the wax. Then I crumpled and twisted them Into fall leaves and cast them in bronze.

The little bird is also highly textured but in a more organized pattern.

I have not made a decision on the stain of the concrete.

Sapling #6 - restore and lath

May 4, 2020 Cindee Klement

The only good thing about quarantine is it provides time to finish projects. I need to get my welding area cleared of these faux bois pieces.

Today I am starting back on the faux bois sapling. It has bronze leaves and 1 bronze bird. It is a special request for my daughter Sage. I started it two years ago and had exhibitions that came up that interfered with my completion. Oops-

She is now engaged to be married during the pandemic June 12, 2020. This is little sapling will now for both Sage and Cameron.

I put protective coverings over the bronze pieces.

My assistant Tobi is ready to help.- sarcasm

Here I am painting restore on the steel. Restore prevents it from rusting.

When you pour it is pink, it turns purple on the steel.

After the restore dried I started attaching the lath

The lath th is sharp like a razor blade.wearing protective arm wear, I cut strips of the lath and attach it to the steel with stainless steel wire with airplane safety pliers. The lath can not wiggle. The concrete liquifies with movement so the lath has to be tight and firm.

Bob the bison

March 9, 2020 Cindee Klement

Have you ever asked a Houstonian- “ why do you think Buffalo Bayou, is named Buffalo Bayou?” The aswer I get 100% of the time is - I don’t know.............. 😞 Right after they mumble “I don’t know?” you can hear the sound of a quiet cracking as my heart breaks. It is heart breaking that living in urban environments we have become disconnected to animals and nature. Thanks to EPIC bar last week I took another step in the direction that will reconnect urban populations to one of the most important natural processes on the planet. I would also like to thank Bob the Bison.

SITE Gallery- Sculpture Month Houston - Installing the work - my pregame plan

October 4, 2019 Cindee Klement

With lots of time spent preparing to install my work, installing it went by quickly.

During the days prior to the installation, I imagined trying multiple compositions of the pre-assembled sections, spending lots of time looking at it, adjusting it, and tweaking it and then adding smaller elements to tie the work together... and repeating the same process over and over until I was satisfied it was finished. That was my pre-game mental plan.

Once the support structure was in place, secure, and painted, it was time to install the work. First, I hung the two pieces I knew would be part of this work. I then looked at the way the shadows were falling on the concave surface of the wall and hung the two end pieces. It was then late in the day, and I decided to call it a day and decide what the next step was with fresh eyes in the morning.

The next day I showed up early in the day ready to sit, look and make changes that would be best for the work on the concave wall of a silo. I was excited to see the curator, Volker Eisele, in the parking lot when I arrived. I invited him to come take a look at my progress.

Smiling he said, "You are done, it is finished." I was really happy that he was pleased, really happy. I was also surprised. Finishing this early was not my game plan. Yikes! It isn’t easy for me to mentally change my game plan. I think Volker could see this in my face, and as he walked away, he said, "You know my name is on this too, it is good." I completely understood and reminded myself how lucky I was that he liked it.

A good problem.🙂

ps. I now have the equivalent of another silo full of work in my studio………. bursting at the seems. Anyone need a keystone animal environmental installation?

SITE Gallery- Sculpture Month Houston - Building the support system

September 27, 2019 Cindee Klement

Finally, I feel like I can make some progress. Step one is to make a structure that I can hang my sculptures from. The gallery owners are trying to preserve the space in its original condition, and ask the artists to deface the silo as little as possible when installing our work. Normally I use acrylic hangers that I designed to hold the pieces. Each bracket takes four anchors. I feel like that is too much destruction to the silo. Instead, I decide to buy some black 14 gauge wire fencing, 20 feet X 36”. The silo funnel has metal bands tack welded to it. The middle metal band is 31” from the wall. I cut the fencing in 31” pieces. I cut one end in a concave shape and the other end convex. The convex end will rest on top of the metal band and the concave end will be supported by two screws in the cinderblock wall. This is 19‘ high, and I feel pretty good that my screw holes will only be minimally defacing the silo.

The moment I got off the scissor lift and looked up at my support system, I realized I had made a big mistake. I should have painted them white. The black stood out too much on the white walls. I could not sleep that night trying to decide if I should repaint them... It was not easy, but I spent the next half day painting the system 19’ in the air white.

I think it was worth it, the support system is much less intrusive.

I hung from the support system 8 fishing tackle swivels with 25 lb filament attached to each swivel. Four of the swivels are 36” apart 18” from the wall. At these distances the pieces will not touch each other or the wall. Everything should move independently. These are for the big pieces. The other swivels are for smaller pieces and are spaced randomly. I am guesstimating where I want these. Tomorrow I will start hanging work.

Bombus and the blueberry

July 26, 2019 Cindee Klement

This is a continuation of an earlier post that documented my intuitive process to embrace and abstract the bee that was listed on the endangered species list January 11, 2017.

The posting was titled Embracing Bombus Affinis. Here is one more experiment.

In the experimental piece below I focused on the transparency of the wings.Through the wings you can see the bees hairs on the back of his abdomen. You can also see the flora in the background and through his wings. FYI- a favorite of the Rusty Patch bumble bee is blueberries. Blueberries are one of my favorites too. There is always a box of blueberries in our refrigerator. I hate the thought of my blueberries being pollinated in a lab.

Bombus Affinis VI30” X 44” — Bombus Affinis VI
30” X 44”

I am not sure if showing the transparency is necessary or if it bogs down the energy with too much information.

If you want to help insure our food remains pollinated as nature intended see below-

Limit the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers whenever possible or avoid them entirely. Pesticides cause lethal and sublethal effects to bees and other pollinators.

https://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/insects/rpbb/factsheetrpbb.html

Technique experiment for endangered bees.

July 3, 2019 Cindee Klement

Bee technique experiment

Bombus Affinis - listed on the Endangered list 2017

Detail of head with a big white eye, thorax antenna and leg

One is to heavy and ones too light. That is how they look to me wet. It is too soon to judge.

Glyphosate #7 (working title) kinetic sculpture - adding some details

May 10, 2019 Cindee Klement

In order to help the large abstract shapes read as botanical or floral shapes I have added some smaller botanical shapes and vines. I think they help.

hopefully this flower is abstracted enough but not too much.

Here is another

Hurricane Harvey Heroes- LIVEstock- “bringing home the bacon” The inspiration?

April 9, 2019 Cindee Klement

He is one big pig, the beloved family pet that had to be hoisted upstairs to save him from drowning in the flood waters of Harvey. The idea of saving a pig was inspired by a YouTube video posted by a young family in Conroe, Texas. I hope you see in the figure not only the strength it takes to lift up a frightened squirming pig but also the determination that the figure has not to let the family’s favorite pet parish. The pig twist and turns while straining his back legs straight out trying to reach the ground.

photo by Nash Baker

66” X 42” 60”

Steel, stainless steel lath, plaster, hydro stone, wire mesh, screen and cloth, and baling wire.

the next pig post - why a pig?

Houston Flood Museum

January 13, 2019 Cindee Klement

A selection of my Hurricane Harvey Heroes monotypes and one of the Humanities pieces are now exhibited in the Houston Flood Museum.

https://houstonfloodmuseum.org/hurricane-harvey-heroes-and-humanity/

Hurricane Harvey - sculpture day 8 “bringing home the bacon”

January 7, 2019 Cindee Klement

I started the upper torso.

I always make the shoulders too broad and then have to adjust them. I will do that tomorrow.

Hurricane Harvey - sculpture day 6 “bringing home the bacon”

January 5, 2019 Cindee Klement

Hurricane Harvey - sculpture day 5 “bringing home the bacon”

January 3, 2019 Cindee Klement

Today I spent a lot of time cutting off and rewelding. The upper leg/booty was too big. After four hours it now has a trimmer.

I am trying to decide if I need to reinforce the lower half of the body or move on. Once I reinforce the joints it is a lot more difficult to make changes. If I move on without reinforcing the welding joints, the piece could fall apart. That is my dilemma.

Hurricane Harvey - sculpture day 4 “bringing home the bacon”

December 28, 2018 Cindee Klement

Connecting the legs and reinforcing them.

Building the hips and connecting the legs

Side view

I create triangles to give the piece stability and strength.

Left side view with triangles

View from the back

view of the right side

Using scraps to create triangles to strengthen the ankles.

Looking back, I can now see the hips are not right and are exaggerating the movement. I will have the movement exaggerated when the piece is finished, but for the armature, I will have to tone it down.

Hurricane Harvey - sculpture day 3 bringing home the bacon

December 27, 2018 Cindee Klement

This sculpture is about the movement and the energy of rescuing livestock (a pig) during Hurricane Harvey. Today I have to decide on where the figure's weight needs to be to best balance the sculpture and express the energy of hoisting the swine to safety. The photos I took of Griffin while he was walking helped me committe to the foot placement. For the weight, I need new reference photos taken from each side. I am fortunate that my husband is always agreeable to posing for me. We wrapped a stool in a towel to stand in for the pig. Below are the new photos.

back view

Harvey Heroes- LIVEstock - “bringing home the bacon”

November 11, 2018 Cindee Klement

I stared a new section in my Hurricane Harvey series of Harvey Heroes. These will all be LIVEstock rescues.

I made the first one today,

“Bring home the bacon.”44” X 30” watercolor monotype — “Bring home the bacon.”
44” X 30” watercolor monotype

This is my first large monotype.
I have always wanted to go larger, but the temporary location of the Glassell School of Art did not have a big press. The pieces in this part of the series will all be 44” X 30” The Glassell printmaking studio has fabulous light, is super clean, and I love working in it. Alexander Squier, the head of the department and instructor makes sure everyone keeps it spick and span. This is the fourth time I have taken the class, print making is addicting and you need a press to feed your addiction. Plus Alexander is great.

Here is the ghost print. Something happened to the ghost. I am not sure what caused the mark that runs through the middle. When it dries I will try to fix it.