GRADUATION GARLAND
The theme was “Starry Starry Night” for the Summerland 2009 Grad Class. An arch of twinkling aluminum wire stars welcomed guests to the arena this year. Some of the stars were covered in fabric, and black toule was woven through the piece to help show off the white lights and their reflections off the shiny delicate wire clusters.
Wire sculptor Angela Hook was recently commissioned to create this piece, ‘Taking Care’ as a retirement gift for a child caregiver. Each of the angels are created from a single strand of copper wire, and the five smaller angels are intertwined with the large angel to create a unified grouping.
SECRET TO SUPER STARS!
Make five sharp points by bending the wire back and forth as shown.
Here’s a fun and fast way to make funky wire stars without needing a jig or even a shape to trace...
Try to keep the size of the zig zag pattern the same.
Create a spiral at one end of your wire using pliers.
Continue to spread the points around the center spiral.
IN THIS ISSUE... Guest Artists Wayne Pelke and Dean Lofthouse
Pull the points away from each other.
Use the star to make magic wands, photo holders, or celestial mobiles!
Sculptor and educator, WAYNE PELKE shares his wire figures with us this issue. Presently a Signature Member of the Boca Raton Museum Artist Guild, Wayne teaches both drawing and clay sculpture to adult students.
I
am primarily a clay sculptor and have been teaching clay sculpture for years. However, some years ago (while in Key West) I wanted to construct elongated figures, so I began experimenting with steel and aluminum wire – steel wire to give the elongated figures a strong armature, and aluminum wire for bulk. At that time, I added a product called Sculpt-metal to the figures to basically hide the wire and add a little bulk. More or less the Giacometti look.
Wire dancers by Wayne Pelke. These figures are constructed of twisted steel wire wrapped in aluminum wire. Each piece is about 22 inches tall and mounted in a ceramic base made by the artist.
A couple years ago I purchased your book [Let the Wire Inspire Release Your Creative Energy], got re-“inspired” and started making some wire figures again. You convinced me there was no reason to hide the wire or to add any kind of bulk to the figures. Although I had constructed the ceramic bases for other sculptures, I realized they would be perfect for wire sculptures, especially for the dancing figures. Although I have done other kinds of wire figures, I prefer the dancers because I like the way they express movement, freedom, and happiness – a Joie de Vivre.
WAYNE PELKE, Florida, USA
Creative Wire Subscriber since May 2007
Featured Artist on Shaw TV A regional cable television station recently featured Angela Hook in her home studio and gift gallery in Summerland. You can view the segment online at
www.wireinspire.com/news.html. Just scroll down the page to PRESS and you will see the video posted there. You should recognize the large wire stars in the video from the front page of this newsletter. It will give you a good idea of their size!
www.wireinspire.com
Wire Art Gaining Momentum – Join the Fun! Five years ago when I was researching for my book, Let the Wire Inspire, I really felt that wire sculpture was an unconventional artistic medium. In my bio, it says “In 2002…With relatively few resources available on the subject, she set out to explore and popularize this beautiful art form, as well as develop her own technical expertise in a craft that seemed to have been forgotten’.
DEAN LOFTHOUSE from ‘Down Under’ runs a freight trucking depot, but enjoys his creative time with wire. Thanks for sharing your work with our readers!
Have I followed that path? Yes! Not only did I teach workshops and create a book to encourage budding benders, I have gathered all of you in a virtual community to share stories and ideas about wire and creativity through this newsletter. Lately, I’ve been wondering how we could make this more dynamic? I started a Wordpress blog a couple years back, but never really knew what to post. I’d like to invite you all to participate in the H2Okay Creative blog on Wire Art (h2okay. wordpress.com). It will be a fun and educational way to connect with other wire enthusiasts. There are several ways you can interact with the blog. Once you sign up with wordpress, you can become a subscriber, so that when new items are posted, you will be notified. You can also choose to simply ‘comment’ on posts. Or, you can become a contributor, which allows you to create your own posts on the site and receive feedback from others. If you are interested in contributing, please send me an email (h2okay@shaw.ca) and I can set up your access to the blog. I think this will be a great way to share your work with everyone and help to popularize wire art around the world! I have added a link to the blog from my wireinspire.com site to encourage more people to visit too. I hope this will become a virtual meeting place to chat about wire. Maybe I should start to Twitter too? Last night I did a Google image search for wire sculpture and spent two hours viewing a feast of amazing creativity from all over the globe created from wire! It was very exciting. If the amount of current online content is an indicator of worldwide wire art production, then I am quite certain that this craft is not ‘forgotten’. www.wireinspire.com
- Angela Hook, wire sculptor
I
have been doing wire art for about 30 years. My brothers used to have to look after me when I was young, and to keep me busy they would give me a pair of pliers and some tie wire while they were working on their bikes. I teach classes now. Also, I am just setting up a new artistic studio called ‘area 51’, which has a bit of a following. The name of the new place is ironic, as it is right smack in the middle of a military area here in Wagga Wagga, Australia. I braise fencing wire together with manganese rods and use a lpg gas torch, which gives the gold looking effect. I am a self-taught artist who has worked with some renowned artists here in Australia. I hope that people not only see my work as some whimsical fun but can see some of themselves in some of the more serious peices.
DEAN LOFTHOUSE, Area 51 Wagga Wagga, Australia
DRESSAGE TROPHIES
MY GRAD GIRL!
International Riders at the Edmonton Gold Rush Dressage Show will be receiveing wire sculptures this August for competing in this first ever CDI event to be held in Western Canada.
I had no idea this would happen so I am thrilled and honored to be able fast! My little girl is finished high to share my work with these amazing school and off to University in the big equestrian athletes. city this fall. She was the deserving recipient of the Top Overall Student Award at the WORKSHOP FOR YOUNG grad ceremonies, and as the principal WRITERS said “she gave her heart and soul to A literacy group recently hosted a their school”. week-long camp for young writers at My heart and soul will miss her the local college. Organizers wanted terribly when she leaves, but I’m so to offer attendees a range of activities excited for all of the opportunities during their time at the camp. One and experiences that await her. afternoon, we divided the group of 75 youth into three groups. A third of ConGRADulations, Kyra! them did karate, a third autographed their anthology, and a third created a wire window charm...and then they JULY ART AUCTION A rotated acctivites!
FUNDRAISING SUCCESS
“Spring” by Angela Hook, acrylic.
PAINTING PROGRESS This lively equine painting (above Spring, 2009) was a recent weekend project. I really enjoyed exploring the multitude of colors in the shiny coat of this horse. Last weekend my husband and I went for a Sunday drive. I managed to get some great shots of several deer. I think I see a new painting in the works....
This was, by far, the largest group I have ever hosted a workshop for. Everyone was very patient and cooperative and took home a nice keepsake of their adventure.
ART WALK “Allure”
The Summerland 2009 Art Walk is under way. This year, my work can It was a lovely evening of fine food, be found at the Sunoka Vet Clinic on wine, music and art as the Penticton Henry Avenue. Many other businesses Art Gallery auctioned off over 100 in the downtown area are featuring donated artworks to raise funds for local artwork during August. Take a stroll about and enjoy the show. the gallery and its programs. I contributed a nicle-plated horse to the event, (Allure, 2009) seen above.
Creative Wire is produced quarterly by H2Okay Creative www.h2okay.com www.wireinspire.com Please send questions and submissions to Angela at h2okay@shaw.ca