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I am still at IU busy working out the details of an installation. I start each morning reading/researching as I enjoy my coffee. I found this article alarming and inspiring. Climate Change Is Speeding Toward Catastrophe. The NextDecade Is Crucial, U.N. Panel Says.
Working out an idea for a future work.
1.5 - sketch for TOAST
Myy work is about the ecological solutions in urban landscapes. What solutions can I unearth in food, toast, char? - time to ponder and ruminate. Stay tuned.
When I started in the MFAH Glassell School block program, I needed pedestals for my smaller sculptures. I made stark white cubes as I saw in museums and galleries.
Over the years, my work has transitioned to tell a specific story. I make work to reveal the beauty in diversity, the messiness in the natural world and the connections between all living things on the planet. And most importantly, I work to inspire society to step into a rhythm that will flow with the natural world and celebrate the beauty in its messiness. My work conflicts with borders that separate, clean lines that divide and sterile objects.
The white cube pedestals are a symptom of sameness, monocultures and sterile environments, a symptom of me wanting to ” look “ like I belong and fit in. A change is an imminent.
I am leting my eyes and mind play with how objects that physically support my work should look. Work that reimagines urban landscapes to balance humanity and natural systems should not be sterile cubes. What should, - what could they be?
The images below are some thoughts I am considering. .
Rocks
Bricks
Stones or concrete.
Cracks
Dried plant material
Electrical wire
Upcycled lawn furniture.
Palm tree trunk skin
Salvaged construction site rotting root with interesting chain link necklace imbedded across her shoulders.
SOILED — Tighty-Whities 2021
Photograph by N. Baker
How do you document art that lives beneath our feet? Creating art beneath the Earth’s surface I am finding new ways to document the work and it's movement. This photograph is the result. Let me explain. To test soil for fungi that recycle wood and live on dead material soil, scientists buried cotton fabric. In Symbiosis, to document the Saprophytic fungi, I planted new, washed men's medium cotton briefs. This photograph demonstrates the results. In 2022 I will recreate the piece and grow the tighty-whities in a vertical column. This change will document that living soil, the diversity of microbes is built from the top down. In contrast, when my father farmed in the 50s and 60s, the farm bureau that advised him told him to invest in a new plow to dig deeper to access the richest soil.
The purpose of my work is to change how we see landscape. It isn’t just about creating beautiful gardens. Landscape can store carbon and soak up rainwater to cool the planet. It is the cheapest and fastest way to get our planet back on track.
Digging up the briefs I immediately knew I had made a mistake. I left them In the garden’s soil too long. Still, I dug them out with tender care. The petroleum-based elastic band was entwined with a plant root. The root took the elastic leg 6” deeper into the earth than I planted it. I left the elastic and the root as I found them. Laid them on a board and took them immediately to Nash’s photography studio to document the work.
First, I delicately untangled the elastic. The cotton had completely decayed. The elastic was not biodegradable.
Seeing that the briefs were still intact minus the cotton and plus the root I started reassembling the briefs and the added appendage.
In art many times you have to listen to the materials.
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”
bronze
12” X 4” X 3”
I needed to make some new concrete sculpting tools. I cut the bristles from a dog brush and glued them to the handle from a sponge 🤞
The small bronze root left a stain on the seat. Oops. I expect I can grind it out.
Work work work
Shaping the dried organic matter.
Creating a system to get bronze into the sculpture.
The best with the wax sorue system.
The sprue system after the first dip in slurry.
All three pieces after several dips.
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.
After cutting the cup and blind vents.
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.
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.
Another view
The base mimics dirt under the tree.
My daughter special requested this piece. She asked if I could make her a sapling. My response was I could try, but the pencil size steel limits how thin I can make the tree limbs. Long story short, the sapling grew old fast. After the first coat the sapling limbs we're no longer sapling thin.
Covered in lath
Keeping an eye on my mix
The first coat - the bronze leaves are covered in green plastic to protect them.
First, I paint on the bonding liquid.
The piece is now ready for coat number 2.
Coat number 2 ✅
Here is the image edited super light in order to show the texture.
More details
Detail of upper branches
A little more concrete need under the bird.
Detail of trunk
The lower trunk and base.
The abundance of knots is evidence that this tree is the host of many insects and good bacteria. Bees and other insects use trees for nesting and receive antiviral properties from the fungus and bacteria that grow on the tree.
The hard work is done. I did a little sanding on the seat so it won’t snag anyone clothes and then I was able to get some help moving it to a place where I can stand back and look at the work.
Front and reflection in the pond
Back view
Bronze
Lovebirds back
Left side view
Left back leg
Back right leg
Another view of the back right legs
Back right view of right legs
Back branch
Back left where back branches and legs connect
Front right legs - I love their hug
the seat texture
A piece of metal that was in my Dad’s ashes and his last name - Travis carved to the right of the metal bolt. I am guessing it is from one of his four hip replacements.
Griffin and Alex after their vows. - the lovebirds January 3, 2018
They will be in Houston for two weeks for Sage and Cameron Cuenods legal wedding vows June 12, 2020.
I Am looking forward to showing it to them. And I would like their opinion regarding a stain/patina.
Bolt, name and ashes of R.I. Travis.
I used the white concrete to create motion in the old wood.
I went a little crazy
A sweet knot with some severe old wood cracks.
I gave the birds a knot to perch on.
Another view of Bob Pa’s moment in the bench.
Earlier in the year I sent the below letter to my City council representative. She is very supportive and agreed to review the Cities landscape ordinance and bring it up to date to reflect our current environmental situation as it pertains to native bees. The bees that are endangered, the honey bee is not endangered. I anticipate that with the health scare our city is facing our bees have been put on the back burner. Since the bees can’t wait for the c virus to die down, I decided I need to act. . Below is my letter. If you agree with me we need to all become gorilla artist and install texas wildflower seeds in every vacant spot we can. See my below post for how to be a gorilla artist and save the Native bees. If you want something done do it yourself. I still have hopes our city will reimagine our urban landscape and save the bees. #bees #houston #cindeeklementart #gorillaart Scientists predict that without pollinators, human life can only continue for four years. In 2017, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Rusty Patch Bumble Bee on the endangered species list. The campaign to list a species as endangered is lengthy and complicated. With this system it is difficult to gauge how many species are actually endangered. Bees are responsible for pollinating 75% of the world's flowering plants; they are crucial for the production of most fruits, nuts, and berries – that our agriculture depends on pollination by bees. Rural areas are highly impacted by the unanticipated consequences of our industrial agriculture’s dependence on chemicals that weaken bee’s immune systems. Urban bee populations can be more diverse than in rural areas. Researchers are finding in cities such as Chicago, Berlin, Berkley, and Melbourne that have reimagined their parks, neighborhoods, city centers, vacant lots, street medians, and rooftops planted with native flowers, grasses, and fruit, and vegetables support healthy, vibrant wild native bee populations. There are four thousand native bee species. They pollinate over three hundred times more effectively than honey bees. For example, A single female Leafcutter Bee visits 100,000 plus blossoms per day whereas a honey
Mix native wild flower or grasses seeds with soil. I am using a handful of compost from my bin.
Wrap it up so you can carry it and not get your hand muddy.
Find a place to throw it that will not be mowed. I picked behind this chain link fence, in the parking lot of my art studio.
Here she lays.
A closer look at - native wild flower seed bomb.
Three weeks later.
There are so many weeds sprouting up it is hard to see my seed bomb. But I see it. It does not have any blooms yet but my fingers are closed it will.
Since we are in quarantine I decided at this time to not make a bunch of bombs to share with others. I would love to share but I am erroring in the side of caution. i put the rest of my wild flower seeds in my flower beds that I needed more plants.
Ready set torch
One for Griffin and Alex, one for Sage and Cameron one to $$$$
Each one us individually signed
I applied a darker patina on the chipped edge.
A big shout out to @roamranch They are expecting 60 calves this coming spring. This past summer during my first visit to Roam I took this photo of the momma cow awkwardly nursing her bison calf. Watching the herd with the calves was a day I will always cherish. I have never shared this touching photo, I was saving it for something extraordinary. 60 cows with calves is pretty special. I could not be happier for Katy, Taylor, Julia, and Cody. I also want to thank them for sharing bison bob the @epicbar bison with me on Tuesday. Getting close up and learning about bison and their impact in regenerating overgrazed prairie has been a long-long time dream/goal of mine. Thanks to these good people and land stewards at Roam Ranch, things are falling in place to create a new body of art that looks at regeneration agriculture. #environmentalart #bison #bioart #gass #calves #sequestercarbon #mothers #ilovebison
In May I started seeking a space to exhibit new environmental, 4D kinetic sculptures. I hoped to use this new work as a start to an art installation inspiring conversations about topics I am very passionate about; the unexpected consequences of forcing natural processes into an industrial model and the complex relationships between humans, plants, and animals.
The stars aligned in July when Sculpture Month Houston’s founder and curator, Volker Eisele, invited me to be one of the 19 artists asked to create a site-specific sculpture in the historic Success Rice Grain Silos behind the Sawyer yard’s artist studios. In the 50th anniversary year of man landing on the moon, this year’s exhibit title is Outta Space from the 2012 Van Halen album A Different Kind of Truth. Outta Space will combine two curatorial themes: one features work focused on environmental degradation issues and the other focuses on interpretations and explorations of Alternative Worlds as envisioned in the fantasies of the artists.
I have passionately committed myself to this installation every day since July. My passion comes from spending my early years on a farm in west Texas, from my concerns regarding industrialized food and its effect on our health, from my love for historic buildings and, most importantly, from my desire to make an impact on the return of our most important keystone species.
As a site specific installation artist my aspiration is to create a piece that is unique to the silo’s space and true to my work. My silo is a circular space constructed from cinder blocks, 18’ in diameter and spans 20’ in height. It has, in the center of the space a 10’ tall funnel suspended from the ceiling. There are a few old, large light fixtures, conduit runs vertical and perpendicular on the walls and there are three entrances to the space. I have three weeks to install the work that I have assembled to date. My mantra as an artist is “if I am not nervous to take on a new project then I am not stretching myself”. I am slightly anxious, yet happy to embrace the butterflies and honored to have my name listed among this year’s SMH artists.
In celebration of the opening there will be food trucks, a bar and music provided by Chapel In The Sky with projections by Michael Walrond - SHDWSOFDUST.
Public Opening for the Exhibition
SITE Gallery Houston,
1502 Sawyer St. Houston, TX 77007,
(The multi-story building behind the artist studios facility).
https://glasstire.com/2016/11/04/the-problems-and-rewards-of-houstons-silos/
https://glasstire.com/2017/10/30/a-conversation-about-art-and-the-silos-on-sawyer/
7 days left to rip and wrangle rusted wire cloth, then delicately stitch the wire fragments into biospheres of frail and vulnerable abstract wild bees and organic shapes. Then coat hydro stone and cast shadows, to kinetically unveil the unintended consequences of forcing natural processes into an industrial model. Then pack, transport, unpack, install for 21 days, and open........ find more locations to install......... rinse and repeat.
My daughter special requested this piece. She asked if I could make her a sapling. My response was I could try, but the pencil size steel limits how thin I can make the tree limbs. Long story short, the sapling grew old fast. After the first coat the sapling limbs we're no longer sapling thin.
Covered in lath
Keeping an eye on my mix
The first coat - the bronze leaves are covered in green plastic to protect them.
First, I paint on the bonding liquid.
The piece is now ready for coat number 2.
Coat number 2 ✅
Here is the image edited super light in order to show the texture.
More details
Detail of upper branches
A little more concrete need under the bird.
Detail of trunk
The lower trunk and base.
The abundance of knots is evidence that this tree is the host of many insects and good bacteria. Bees and other insects use trees for nesting and receive antiviral properties from the fungus and bacteria that grow on the tree.
Loading him up for my last studio visit of 2017.
I love the shadows he makes on my brick wall.
I found an old scrap of screen used for windows.
The piece is sewn together with wire thread.
Material detail
The project is to experiment with a new material every week. I am keeping the subject simple to focus on the material.
When lit properly he looks like he is made of smoke.
9/26/2016 - 10/2/2016
I started a new sculpture. This will be an additional piece to my series based on shaking dogs. My fingers are crossed.
Pedestal ✅ photos of similar pose ✅ wire✅ wire cutters✅ music ✅
The beginning
Paw
Double
Starting the body. This will be the back side of the piece. The front of the piece you will see just the dogs head popping out and paws gripping the side of a deck.
Right side view
I Moved the piece from my garage to my studio at Glassell. It got a little banged up in the move. There is a lot of negative space involved in these pieces so it is important to have a clean white background behind whichever side I am working on. I have created a movable partition that I move around it as I work.
I taped two 3 paneled science fair poster boards together to make my clean white back drop.
Left side started
Adding more support
More wire
Front view- at this time he is headless. The most important part of this piece will be the dogs expression.
Left view- the tail is wagging extreme left. I spent an entire day getting this tail perfect. Next week I will take a backside view.
The next step is to start the head and face.
I will start a new post for the head of this piece.
I am still struggling with a name. Curtis suggested "did I win?"
I was thinking "paws up"
Naming the piece is an important task to me. I struggle with the name of each and every piece. And I am struggling with the name of this piece.
If you have a suggestion for a "title of work" please do not hesitate to send me an idea.
