About: |
Hiking the East Mountains, the fallen, twisted branches catch my eye and challenge me to reconstruct their debris into creative content with purpose and vitality. I create original mixed media art pieces by treating and sealing found wood, sculpting faces, hands, and feet from polymer clay, assembling clothing,cc and embellishing these natural creatures with moss, lichen and other natural products found in our forest. Since it is such a rarity to find wood pieces that resemble wings, I have chosen to design my women to be Forest Guardian Angels tasked to protect various life and conditions of the forests. I am struck by how our forests are in peril and need attention to help them back to health.
Other creatures without wings are my Spirit Women, who are meant to be guides in helping us resonate with themes or imagery that remind us to grow and develop our inner selves. Their meaning emerges from the energy and flow of the wood, as well as how the figure's form comes together as I make it. I have been working with a variety of art media as an educator for some years, but only began to focus my attention to art full-time upon retirement. I find the shift from being a principal and teacher for 30 years to full-time artist not so different, as I am always still learning and trying to serve the community in some way. I hope my Spirit Women will inspire folks to be conscious of the environment and living their best lives. And I also hope to share the joy that art brings to me by hoping it will bring joy to others' lives as well. My work is presently being shown as the Carnaval Aztlan Gallery in Madrid, New Mexico and I am also a member of the Pop-Up Pottery group in town. I have always had a vivid imagination and a love for experimenting with making things out of unconventional materials. The use of natural elements of the forest allow me to suggest that nature makes the most beautiful art, and it cannot always be replicated so beautifully. Though I do try to play with many replications in my playful sculptures of insects, my polymer clay sculpted paintings, my mushroom bud vases, or even my outlandish "Birds of a Feather." Polymer clay allows me the versatility to try all kinds of techniques. Some pieces are made with colored clay and built into intricates canes that are formed together, like in the birds or bowls, and some pieces are made with white clay and then painted with various surfaces treatments like the Fruit Medley or the mushroom vases. And then the paintings, are not really painting at all but are polymer clay put on with a palette knife, sculpted, and also utilize some of the caning techniques as well, only to be baked before putting it onto the display board. I like variety because I never know what detail is going to capture my intention each day. |
Gallery:
Where to purchase Gaels art: |
Email:
gack529@gmail.com |
Links: |
FB@ Gael Keyes |
