04 Oct Animal Sculptures Made Out of What?

Happy #TextureTuesday!  Today you get two chances to guess what this little squirrel sculpture, and other animals, are made of.  The above adorable squirrel looks like it’s crafted from looped yarn to me, don’t you think? Not. Keep trying to guess with my clues. Have you got it yet?

Well, to give you a little hint, here’s a detailed image below that shows a tad of “sheen” to the materials used in these amazing sculptures. So you probably have it by now, right?

And another hint below that truly gives it away because this little fella is holding the artist’s materials she sculpts with.

Well, if you haven’t guessed yet, no worries, because standing away from these incredible sculptures you can hardly tell the materials. But here’s the full view (below) of the cute squirrel in the fist image. And surely, you have it by now…..it’s PLASTIC!!

But not just any old plastic. This incredible art is meticulously handcrafted by local Austin artist, Calder Kamin, from recycled plastic bags. That’s right. No dye added, these are the actual bright colors of thousands of plastic bags she’s collected over the years to save from ending up in the landfill.

Mixed Media artist, Calder Kamin, posing with the Fox at her 1st solo exhibition “Plastic Planet” at Women and Their Work. Exhibit runs through Nov 10, 2016.

Calder is an amazing and talented young woman, and I will not do it justice by telling you all about her. You can view her website HERE to learn more. She’s very articulate about why she does the artwork she does, and I HIGHLY encourage you to go check out her 1st solo exhibition “Plastic Planet” right now through November 10th at Women and Their Work.  And she’s got some exciting programming coming up for the whole family, so please check it out.

After literally bumping into friend and fashion designer Cari Borja, who lives in LA, at the entrance to Women and Their Work, we both were in absolute AWE of these animal sculptures!

You may not know what I’ve been up to at Deborah Main Designs studio, because it’s been such a busy fall (My girls moving into an apt, remodeling for our 1st ACL Airbnb renters, and creating new pieces for art exhibition deadline) that I truly can’t remember what I’ve told you and what I haven’t. I am smack dab in the middle (Module 6 to be exact) of taking an online Art Career Success System (ACSS) course taught by Alyson Stanfield .

The reason I’m telling you all this, is because it’s a new direction for me, and I’m learning myself how to “talk” about my art, how to “communicate” about re-purposing the materials I use in my work. And we had a class task –  we were supposed to start calling galleries and going to art openings.  (I used to attend art openings a lot when my Mom was alive in late 1990’s) Well, THE gallery on my list to call was Women and Their Work (WATW), because I’ve known of it’s highly regarded reputation in the Austin community for years and I wanted to become involved. Because of such a warm welcoming by their program director, I’ve since joined as an Art Diva (their name, not mine, but appropriate for the Pillow Goddess) and you can too if you’re a working artist and interested in connecting with more women artists. Check it out HERE.

Joining WATW and taking the ACSS course are THE TWO best decision I have made for myself and my career this fall!!

Frankly, I wasn’t that excited about seeing plastic bags, but boy did that ever change when I got to the exhibit.  It was packed!!

I’m not going to share all the images with you because I really want you, if you live or are visiting Austin, to attend the exhibition, as they are a real treat to see in person. But below is my fave little guy, the possum.

There are so many adorable animals. Please read about Calder Kamin HERE and attend the exhibit at Women and Their Work.

You will be just as amazed as I was with her art and commitment to the environment, because Calder took a year to create these pieces by twisting and applying them individually with a glue gun. Such patience and artistry! Congratulations Calder!

THAT friends is dedication, not just to her art, but to saving the environment. She even has a section for guests to read all about how much plastic we consume and throw away in society and that the “power” to change that is in our hands.

I love art that makes a statement, that educates me as I view it.

Enjoy images of the most incredible texture I’ve seen recently on this week’s #TextureTuesday. I purposely left a few animals out that are fabulous, so you’d go see for yourself. Watch for an upcoming fashion interview of Kristine Rodriguez with Responsive Textiles, another amazing artist. Till next time, XOPG