LAW 123: Looking Back

I commented on a friend's art post the other day, we had both made flying pigs. In my comments about my own pig i referenced the work i was doing during the 90's and early 2000's. I was introduced to pig gut as an alternative medium while i was in graduate school. I pretty much fell in love with it, and spent about fifteen years exploring the possibilities of this gorgeous, but gross sounding medium.

If The Shoe Fits, pig gut, sinew, 1997 private collection

There aren't many images of this phase of my work out there, i let my old website lapse several years ago, so when Barbara said she wanted to see some of the images i decided to dig through my archives and post a few of them.

First Steps, pig gut, sinew, 1997, private collection

So a friend in grad school insisted that i try working with gut. She was taking an entry level class taught by a visiting artist who introduced it to them, she was sure that i would love it. She was correct. The first work i did with pig gut was two dimensional, it was not until that i jumped into the third dimension that i was well and truly hooked!

Tools of the Trade, pig gut, 1997, private collection

Tools of the Trade #2, 1997, private collection

It is amazing material, self-adhesive, it has plastic memory, takes color beautifully, depending on your initial treatment it could be as soft and flexible as cloth, an opaque white, or rigid and a beautiful translucent golden hue. i could go on and on, and on...

Modern Appliances, It's for You, late 90's, private collection

Modern Appliances, destroyed

At the time i was doing a lot of work with handmade paper. My first sculptures incorporated the pig gut along with the paper. I had some structural problems with these, most of them have not survived.

When i was a Child #2, 1996, destroyed

Seed Mother, 1996, handmade paper, gut, sunflower seeds

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Seed Mother, back view

From there, for my thesis show, i was mainly drape molding small, every day objects. I had a shoe fascination going on at the time(it's a long story).

Humonculi , pig gut, steel wire, glass vitrine, private collection

Humonculi, 1998? Dance Shiva Dance, private collection

Shortly after i branched out into small dolls, humunculus, mad scientist hybrid insect/human and other assorted weirdness.

Family Jewels, gut, gold thread, and red velvet, destroyed.

Humanus Domesticus var. 2, pig gut, gold wire and glass seed beads, private collection

Humanus Domesticus, var 1, gold wire, pig gut, private collection

Acridae Humanus var. 1, pig gut, gold wire, glass seed beads, private collection

At the time i had a very large studio(sigh, living on a boat does have drawbacks) so as any good artist would, i expanded to fit the space. Moving into large scale, life size, human figures, and than from there, into abstraction.

Medusa Mother Love1999, back view, pig gut, black coat thread, private collection

 These last three pieces are life size.

The Perfect Woman, 2000, pig gut, steel wire, private collection.

Dryad #1, pig gut, grape vine, 2000, collection of the artist.

Dryad #2, pig gut, grape vine, 2000, collection of the artist.

Well, i think i will break this into two offerings, as this is getting too long! I'll do the abstract stuff as a separate entry.

Please don't forget that we still have an Indiegogo campaign going o for a few more days. Check out Tesla's Revenge for info about the campaign, thank you for any support.

Also the companion blog to this one, The Floating Empire, where you can find out anything you could ever possibly want to know about building and living in a shanty boat.

More later,

Gail