New Favorite Artist

Kim Cridler.

I first saw Kim's work in the catalog for a show I was in last year called Decorative Resurgence. I can't believe I'd never heard of her before that. I need to get my head out of the sand. Anyway, I was browsing the catalog and saw an image and just lost my breath. Her metalwork is so impressive and beautiful. The precision of the lines, the 3 dimensional layering, the inclusion of personal narrative and metaphor-heavy imagery, it all just blows me away- and really, it's all pieces of what I want in my own work. When I first saw it I was actually frustrated that someone had a similar aesthetic and achieved it so much more successfully. Then I realized that these vessels are 5 FEET TALL! ... And she's a professional artist and professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. So it's now become adulation. And hey! Good news! This summer I'll be a studio assistant for Amy Tavern at the Penland School of Crafts (Amy is another inspiration of mine) and Kim Cridler will be teaching a class at the same time! Two birds with one studio! SO EXCITED. These pictures were taken from Kim's website.

I am fascinated with both of the above images because of their textile elements. In the top piece, what looks like an oriental rug (or decorative tile?) provides a backdrop for a huge chalice. I am intrigued by the interior space Kim invents for this monumental vessel and the connotations associated with a rich, decorative furnishing such as a woven rug.

The second sculpture contains my very favorite symbolic element in the world. There's something about a single bird that makes me think of playful innocence: just a sparrow flitting around a tree, enjoying the sun, right? Then there's something about congregating birds that speaks of dread: circling vultures, or who can really talk about birds without thinking about the scene with the crows gathering on the playset in that Alfred Hitchcock movie. This piece takes me more to that place. The woven hair helps the creepiness.

Then there's this amazing piece of architecture in Arizona. I love (LOVE, I say, LOVE) Spanish architecture. This bridge has an arch in all the right places... namely, everywhere. It's gentle and pleasing while keeping clean, pragmatic lines. It is a bridge after all.

I totally can't wait to meet this woman.