“Sodalite Trio” is a delicate show of wire bending prowess. The blue wire and the sodalite come together in a visual harmony that allows the wire trees to be so heavily saturated as to almost be a neon sign without the blinding harshness. The rich color and the way the wire is connected and twisted forms an almost ecosystem reminiscent of the Japanese ink wash landscape paintings. The trees in those images are staggered and have a sense of fluidity to them. Having the wire showing entirely and connect from the pedestal to the sodalite, around and up to the trees gives it life and suspends it in perpetual animation. A vivid, willowy, and delicate yet sturdy world is created in these wires. It could be construed as a fantasy setting – a grouping of shards of earth that have linked together via the vegetation and roots of these looming trees that sustain life or are the last few pieces of a lost people. Give the plasticity of the wire itself, it could be a sci-fi environment – asteroids with a high water density or the sheer concentration of sodalite in the rock has turned the plant life as blue as the ground or the only mineral that suffices for structural building is the sodalite and so whatever life is there shaped it and carved it into these platform-like trees in order to build up their own civilization.

It could be none of these. “Sodalite Trio” has the range of interpretation to be an environmental statement. “If something isn’t done then this is the only way we’ll have foliage.” A world of curated metal monoliths that seem to have been built by giants that faced fell to hubris. Alternatively, this could be post-hubris. There’s nothing left of whoever made these structures because they dared to think themselves gods in order to touch the stars. Or, vegetation is soon to be treated as a precious resource and so the blue is to indicate the priceless nature of the trees.

Review by Ez Perry

 

 

ARTIST STATEMENT

My body of work consists of a multitude of different colored and sized wire trees, in which I use semi-precious stones and crystals as a base and accent. I use aluminum wire to make tree-shaped sculptures, with the wire often being black, but sometimes I use colored wire to compliment the color of the stone base. In these trees I am mimicking life by using a naturally occurring figure, the tree, as well as a mostly naturally occurring object, the stone. Each stone has a different meaning and can help people in all different aspects of their spiritual and emotional life journeys. I am drawn to these crystals because I find a great sense of peace within them. They inspire me to create art, and I feel they connect me more to my artistic process.

For each sculpture I use a different type of stone, such as sodalite in my piece, Sodalite Trio, and amethyst, selenite and rose quartz in my piece, Forest of Healing.  Prior to choosing a stone I research it thoroughly in order to discover what energies it possesses. Once I understand the spiritual properties of a stone, I can then begin to sketch out a design. When choosing the stones for Forest of Healing I researched stones known for their healing and spiritual qualities. This led me to amethyst, which is known to reduce anxiety, selenite, which connects one to the spiritual plane and one’s guardian angel, and rose quartz, which is known to soothe. These attributes in combination with the colors of the stones led me to the idea for the Forest of Healing.  I have also used the stone sodalite. Sodalite is known to create a tranquil energy that helps to elicit deep thought. It is also called the stone of truth. It increases consciousness and the striving for truth. It also possesses the ability to tell the truth by eliminating fears and anxieties.

I hope for my pieces to invoke calm and serenity in my viewers, and that they gain peace in their lives from the healing qualities of the stones. After graduation I plan to make even more forests and trees, with even more types of crystals. I plan to expand my knowledge of crystals even further as I continue to sculpt.

 

BIOGRAPHY:

I was born in Asheville, North Carolina on December 11th, 1997 in Mission hospital, but I grew up in Flat Rock, North Carolina, which is about 30 minutes away.

I have been interested in art for as long as I can remember. I used to draw with pens and highlighters on huge stacks of paper that my dad would bring home from work. It was a few years before college that I became interested in three dimensional art, and making wire trees.

My parents, and really my whole family, have had interest in some form of art, so I have experienced it my whole life. My dad and one of my brothers used to play music, and their tastes in music had a huge influence on me. My mom did fiber arts, such as cross stitch and embroidery, which she taught me at a young age. My other brother also drew when he was younger. My grandparents on both sides had artistic talents such as drawing, and fiber arts like quilting, crocheting and knitting and sewing.  I was really surrounded by art as a young child, so to me it makes sense now to be an artist.