Esther Barr MetalWorks
  • Home
  • About
  • Exhibits
  • Raised Panels
  • Framed Works
  • Archived Works
  • In Studio
  • Blog
  • Contact

Freedom

2/6/2022

1 Comment

 
Picture
Why Bull Kelp? Bull kelp is a fast growing annual which provides nutrients and habitat for a multitude of species; growing up to 2 feet a day and as tall as 80 feet. The blades (leaves) follow the movements of the ocean and originate from the ball-like bladder which rises towards the surface of the ocean. The holdfast (roots) is a gnarled mass and anchors it to the ocean floor.
I love the freedom I have to interpret my subjects in copper in various ways creating new forms and effects. For this piece, I found great joy in crushing the metal and pulling it through my etching press multiple times. I manipulate the folds between each pass until the resulting abstract relief patterns hold my interest. The copper is pulled though the press again; this time with the master linocut design of the Bull Kelp followed by additional hand-tooling and hammering to define and add texture. Each member of the series is unique; this is #15 and I still have so many more ideas to explore in this series.




1 Comment

    Author 

    I was an animator for 20 years. I now distill the essence of movement into a single frame in copper.

    Archives

    April 2025
    October 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    April 2020
    August 2017
    June 2017
    April 2016
    March 2016

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.