Craft Flowering - Solo Exhibition 2016

Gif by Michele Jorsling

This mask was exhibited at my most recent solo exhibition, Craft Flowering, at Medulla Gallery, November 2016.

Christmas Collection 2014

My wire art is available this Christmas at retail outlets, Rainy Days in Ellerslie Plaza, Paper Based Bookshop at the Normandie Hotel and Conbrio Furniture and Gift Shop on Kavanagh Street in St Clair.

Here is what is available

SMALL ANGELS IN BRONZE AND STAINLESS STEEL

SMALL AND LARGE ANTHURIUM FLOWERS IN ALUMINIUM AND IN COPPER

ANTHURIUM NAPKIN RINGS IN ALUMINIUM AND COPPER

MULTI-PURPOSE WALL HOOKS

3 FLOWER IKEBANA WALL VASE

NEW FLOWER DESIGN - ABSTRACT COMPOUND FLOWER WITH FERN LEAF
Photos to come

NEW FLOWER DESIGN - DOUBLE CHACONIA WITH WIRE LEAF
Photos to come

Ikebana proportions as a starting point for more Wall Vases

This is my latest collection of wall vases.  These are made around a plastic test tube that can be taken out and cleaned. Large and small anthuriums made from either copper or brass sheet wrap around the test tube and create an interesting contrast with fresh flowers or leaves.

Most of these new vases have been inspired by the proportions of Ikebana flower arrangement. Now I have not personally studied this art form but a friend who practises it, suggested that I look into these proportions when arranging the 3 copper flowers around the plastic test tube.

Ikebana comes out of the Buddhist practice. The flower arrangements employ 3 lines as the basis of the design - the longest line, Ten meaning Heaven, the mid length line Jin, meaning human and the shortest line Chi meaning earth. The length of these lines follow a ratio of 1 : 1.6 in relation to the vase and each other.

These wall vases are available at Con Brio, Paper Based and Rainy Days.

Large and small copper anthuriums with bourganvilla 

Large and small copper anthuriums with fresh anthurium

Copper anthuriums and fern with bourganvilla

Copper anthuriums and fern with fresh anthurium

The Copper Anthurium Collection - Flowers and Napkin Rings

These new pieces are now available at the retail outlets Con Brio, Paper Based Bookshop and Rainy Days - see the sidebar for their locations and phone contacts.

Large and Small Anthuriums.
These flowers are made from sheet copper and recycled wire with handmade copper beads embellishing the stamen. They come in 3 different sizes - small, large round and large long.

Large and Small Anthuriums

Large Round Anthurium

Large Long Anthurium

Napkin Rings
Another design using the copper anthurium theme is the napkin ring. This is one way to dress up your dining table. They are made from the small flowers, though I have and can make them with the larger flowers as well.

Copper Napkin Rings Detail

Napkin Rings on Cloth Napkins

The Aluminum Anthurium Collection - Flowers, Napkin Rings and Multi-purpose Hooks

These new pieces are available at Con Brio on Kavanagh Street,  Paper Based Bookshop in the Normandie Hotel and Rainy Days Gift Shop in Ellerslie Plaza.

The Aluminum Anthuriums were the first that I made and I made them in copper and brass after. I continue to make the flowers in small, large round and large long.

Lots of Large and Small Flowers in a Bucket

Large and Small Flowers in a Bud Vase

Large and Round Anthurium in a Bud Vase

Large and Long Anthurium in a Bud Vase

Small Anthurium Napkin Rings
Also available are napkin rings made from the small flowers. They are a great wedding gift and really dress up your dining table.

Napkin Rings Close Up

Napkin Rings with Cloth Napkins

Multi -Purpose Hooks
These hooks are multi-functional. You can hang tea towels, light clothes, keys or jewelry necklaces and earrings on them.

Multi-purpose hook

Multi-purpose hook

 

See Me Here - Artists' Talk

On Friday 25th April, I had the opportunity to talk about my Costumed Self Portrait Series, which is featured in the newly published art book, See Me Here. Together with fellow artists, Dave Williams, Jaime Lee Loy, Roberta Stoddart, Steve Ouditt, Sheena Rose and Che Lovelace, we shared insights into our art making processes, as well as the self examination that forms the basis of our art. Here is a link to a recap of the evening, written by Marsha Pearce for Arc Magazine.

Below is the artist statement that I shared that evening.

"This body of work began as imaginary costumes in my mind's eye. The costumes always took the form of a ball gown, a corset or a girdle. These types of garments rigidly hold the idealised female form in the absence of the wearer. This suggests that these garments are inherently uncomfortable and force some physical, though temporary transformation upon the wearer."


"I deliberately chose materials like wire, mesh, sheet metal and mild steel to make these costumes. I could form these materials over my body. These materials added to the physical discomfort of the costumes."

"I chose to document myself wearing these costumes in private, using the self timer feature on my camera. The photographs documented my initial, spontaneous response to wearing the costume - its weight, how it felt against my skin, how it drew a performance out of me. At times I wanted to repeat the photographs to correct some technical fault or I had someone else take the photos for me. I found that at those times, my responses were too self conscious and contrived. Not honest. "

"Some photos depicted me conforming to the form and performing the personality of the costume. In other photos, I am wrestling with the costume. The poses and facial expressions contradict the proposed personality of the costume. While I explored physical discomfort in private, wearing the costumes that were overtly sexual in nature, in public, gave me the opportunity to explore emotional discomfort like shame and embarrassment."  

"Looking back at this body of work, some 14 to 24 years later, I wonder what this work was really addressing. The idea of discomfort creating transformation, comes to mind. Looking back at my past to find what could be the germ of this work, I think a big influence was being born with a hole in my heart and the corrective surgery that followed when I was 5 1/2 years old."  

"I can still remember the dream that I had during that surgery.  I was lying on the operating table, which was situated in a lowly lit, large loft with a wooden floor. I kept looking over to the right, at a dressmaker's mannequin in the shadows. It had a head, my mother's head. It was as if she was watching over me. Before leaving the hospital, I remember sitting with the doctor for a final check up. He was going to remove the 2 wires that were sticking out of my body. They were there to check the electrical function of my heart and determine if I would need a pacemaker. I didn't. The doctor then allowed me to pull them out for myself and I kept them in a jar for some years after."

See Me Here - Book Launch and Artists Talk

My Costumed Self Portrait Series, dating from 1990 to 2000 is being featured in a newly published book titled See Me Here: A Survey of Contemporary Self Portraits from the Caribbean (click for Facebook page). Editors Mariel Brown and Melanie Archer,  together with Robert and Christopher Publishers have produced the book. The book launch will take place at Medulla Art Gallery, Fitt Street Port of Spain, on Thursday 24th April 2014 as part of the Bocas Literary Festival. An artists talk will follow, on Friday 25th April 2014, from 6.30 to 8.30 PM.

THE COSTUMED SELF PORTRAIT SERIES 1990 - 2000
As an art student in Dundee Scotland, I began a body of work that would span 10 years.  The work began with costumes - wearable sculptures crafted from wire, paper, threads, sequins and fabric. In an attempt to document these pieces, I started photographing myself wearing them.

The act of photographing the costumes involved performing the personality of the costume. The costumes were physically uncomfortable to wear but each costume represented some aspect of my personality, a role or stereotype that I would willingly or unconsciously step into, from time to time.

Doux Doux and Wannabe were made between 1990 and 1992. They revealed the more lighthearted, playful, frivolous aspects of my personality. After a break of 6 years, I returned to this body of work with She Web and Blinkered by Colour, made in the period 1998 – 2000. These later pieces were bolder, more blatantly sexual and even predatory.

This series of self portraits was my way of negotiating and processing my experience as a women, in relation to topics such as sexuality and sexual attractiveness, body culture, body image, sexism and feminism, the way that heterosexual women relate to men, and how much role play and stereotype forms part of these interactions.

Invitation for the Book Launch and Artists Talk

Blinkered By Colour 1998

Wannabe 1 1990 - 1992

Wannabe 2 1990-1992