I have come to believe that art and science, together, allow for an understanding of the world that is not possible with just one without the other. To me, studying scientific imagery opens portals into new visual realms that are at times humorous, at times sublime, but always fascinating. I lean into the wry unexpectedness of surrealism, and, I love to pull odd images, materials, and processes into unexpected directions and extremes. My imagery draws on a fascination with science and organic nature, I explore details in nature and life that might otherwise remain unseen.
SCULPTURE
When I work with materials, glass, metal, wood, anything, I use the approach I used for clay long ago: I manipulate all my materials to their extremes, so the resulting artworks have a surprising visual organic plasticity. I use recycled industrial and found material when possible, and often combine rough, industrial elements, such as the heavy seamed welding of plumber copper pipe, with unexpected adornments such as carefully forged sterling silver finials and finishes, and delicately, irregularly hand-made copper wire netting and ribbing. I hand forge copper, carve and whittle wood, and hand fabricate individual elements.
SCULPTURAL ASSEMBLAGES
The assemblages, or dimensional paintings, of colorful abstract and familiar forms included sculptural elements that jutted out of the compositional frame and into space to create additional layers of shadows and movement. Key elements of the pieces are free-form shapes that are scissor-cut from defective and discarded rubber playground balls. These shapes, with their vivid colors and the eerily visceral surface of the familiar rubber playground balls, provide an evocative conceptual overlay around which the
compositions are built. These colorful pieces are narrative layerings of abstract and referential elements inspired by sea life, internal anatomy, and microorganisms.
DIGITAL COLLAGES AND PHOTOGRAPHY
I have recently become interested in photography, and digital manipulation and collage. These pieces draw from photographs I have taken of travel to Cuba, Nepal, Barcelona, Venice, and my home cities of Seattle, as well as details of my artworks. In Paris for this year, I have been making digital collages of odd sites such as the Paris Doll Museum, and the Museum of Surgical Tools.
Contact / Site web
amyshamblin@gmail.com
http://www.AmyHamblinArt.com