Homeward Bound

Heading home to Chicago on Saturday. I'm giving an artist talk "AWay Home" on Sunday at Chicago's historic South Side Community Art Center at 3 p.m. The Center is the topic of my Masters Thesis. The talk will be about my artwork and teaching practice. Please come if you can!

Shield of Blue

Branded Boxes Evolving From a Single Unit

One thing that was important to me while creating these cardboard sculptures was that it grew out of a single box. For example, on the top is a Skechers brand and on the bottom, a Life Stride brand shoe box. No other boxes were used. I was interested in discovering how far I could go in transforming a single item into something else. These sculptures would hang on the wall, while others may sit on the floor. I enjoyed photographing these and the play of shadow cast on the wall. When I exhibit these, the lighting will be crucial.

Greenbox Transformed

Photos by Denny Henry

My floral box starts to come alive at a critique in the studio. I'm pleased with the ways the colors interact and the overall sculpture shape.

Un-Boxed

I returned to the studio the next day to solve the problem of the boxiness of the sculpture I worked on yesterday. I decided to subtract aspects of it by cutting out negative shapes. It's starting to feel more comfortable to me and much more organic.

Larger and larger boxes...

I decided to try working with larger boxes for my upcoming exhibition. I was able to get a wardrobe box from a friend. It was hard to tear the box to reveal the layers beneath. 

My challenge was to move beyond the box shape. It was all about transforming the box into something else. I left the studio that day feeling like I still had so much more work to do. 

Greenbox

As my deadline of April 20 loomed near for the installation of the NEXT graduate exhibition at the Corcoran, I had to step up my production. It was great experimenting with different colored boxes. This sculpture was created from a floral box sent to my house from my niece in Chicago for my birthday. I love the green printed exterior and the chocolate brown contrasted against the fluted corrugated board sandwiched between layers. Every box has a story. Photographing the sculptures added a whole new dramatic dimension.