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Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Sculptures Made Entirely of Sharpened Pencils (PICS)

Exclusive Interview: Jennifer Maestre

Threnody

I was recently fortunate to be in touch with artist Jennifer Maester, who for a number of years has mesmerized us with her sculptures. I asked her if I could interview her for the blog. Not only was she happy the communicate, but we also got to see some very new work of hers.

REUBENMILLER: Please tell us a little bit about yourself!

Jennifer Maestre: I'm a late bloomer as an artist. I went to Mass College of Art in my 30's, and majored in Glass. Before that, I'd always done some type of creative project, but never full time.
I'm basically self taught as far as what I do now, they don't teach my type of pencil art in school.

(more interview and images after the jump)

RM: What mediums do you use for creating your art and objects?

JM: For now, I am using mostly pencils. The sculptures are made by drilling holes in one inch long sections of pencils, and sewing them together using a sculptural beading technique called 'peyote' stitch.

Circumbendibus

RM: Who do you think most influenced your work?
JM: I love Ernst Haeckle's work, but I'd say it inspires rather than influences me.

RM: When did you fascination for pencils begin? How did it become one of
your best-known art mediums?
JM: I've always been the type to use pencils down to the tiniest nub, and save the nubs.
However, when I started using pencils in my sculptures, it was more about the textures they could allow me to achieve. I was experimenting with lots of pointy things, and pencils happened to be easy to get, and fun to work with.
As for it becoming my best-known art mediums- I'm not really sure!

Clever_trap


RM: How do you think up the subjects for your sculptures?
JM: Sometimes I have a rough idea in my head for a form, sometimes things go awry, and I end up somewhere I never envisioned. Sometimes I make a 'pattern' for myself, and follow it to see what happens.
Many times, one sculpture will inspire the next.
Originally, I was inspired by the form and texture of the sea urchin, I still make them out of pencils.

Basilisk


RM: Do you buy pencils in bulk quantities? How many do you estimate
you've used in the last year?
JM: Yes, I do buy in bulk, if I can. I'm very sad that one of my sources has been bought up by a Mega Corporation with a very un-user friendly website- no way to figure out how to get a case of pencils!
On the other hand, a very nice German pencil company sent me 2 cases of gorgeous pencils for free. They are seconds, but I for one can't find any fault with them.

It is tough for me to estimate, but I reckon I've used at least 5,000 pencils, just for sculptures, not including the jewelry.

Watchtower


RM: Where is your work exhibited? For sale?
JM: I am represented by Mobilia Gallery in Cambridge MA., at least as far as the sculptures.
I sell my jewelry in a few shops, galleries, and Museum stores, and on etsy.com .

Naiad


RM: Tell us about your pencil jewelry. What kind of feedback do you get
from people who have worn it or given as gifts?
JM: I started making the jewelry in 2005. I had made a teapot commission, and the handle was done with a laminated block of pencils, carved. The shapes and colors were so interesting, I decided to try making the jewelry. I enjoy doing it, as I get results a lot sooner than I do when I'm sewing my sculptures together!
It is interesting watching people looking at the jewelry. Sometimes, they get it right away, but other times, even if I tell them what the material is, they still can't puzzle it out. Sometimes people ask me if I melt the pencils- which is a funny question- pencils are made of wood!

Ursulina


RM: What's next on the horizon?
JM: I've been making some artist trading cards, and am thinking I'd like to expand on that.
I also want to make a chess set out of pencils, but first I need to get more pencils. Of course, those are both for fun, for days when I'm not working on my sculptures.

Top 10 Reasons to Believe Logic Over Religion

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for turning my tap water into alcohol and a never ending food basket, but I’m tired of all these people whining and telling me how to live my life. You do your thing, I do my thing, we’re all happy, but after reading that someone is paying Facebook to post a religious article titled “6 Reasons You Have To Believe In God”, I figured I’d grab my own cross and at least have fun while getting ready to be crucified for having an opinion.

The argument that because complex life exists, it must have been “created” is ridiculous, and it’s time someone said it. Yay, we have lots of chromosomes, we can see in color and keep erections for 4+ hours (commercials say see a doctor, I’d rather see a sorority house), but explaining away the unexplainable with magical explanations is as real as the emails I get from the prime minister of Nigeria who wants to send me $4 million dollars via a cashiers check.

1. “Earth is the perfect environment, it had to have been made for us”

Nai-eve. Get real. I point you to Arachaea, aka Archaebacteria and Extremophiles. These miraculous organisms live in ridiculously extreme climates. Climates much like that of, I don’t know, other planets perhaps? The point is, different kinds of life require different things. Ours needs water, oxygen and beer. Anyway, as far as we know, in the 9 planets (fuck you, Pluto still counts) we have in our Solar System, we’re the only ones with real sentient life, so I guess that means we’re the only ones right? Oh wait, I forgot about the BILLIONS+ of other planets and solar systems in other galaxies and what not that we haven’t been to or seen up close. So we’re here, great, that’s awesome, but if it were so damn perfect, Canada would be part of the United States, it wouldn’t be so damn cold here in the winter, and Yellow Stone would shoot up Budweiser. Hey, a guy can dream right?

2. Free Will - Contradicting a Contradiction

God “gives” us “Free Will” so that we can choose which path to follow. He knows what we’re going to do, but he’s “giving” us the choice to, uhm, choose what he already knows we’re going to do? To put it simply, if God can know 100% without a doubt you’re going to do it, it’s set in stone, you can’t change it, you’re just fulfilling destiny or a “plan” laid out by someone else. Either he gives us free will to do what we want (in which case there are many different paths and there is no way to KNOW which one we’ll do), or it’s all an illusion and you’ve got a puppet string coming out of your ass.

3. Hillary Clinton is leading the polls

If there is a God, and he does love us, then this would never have happened. Every time I realize my calendar doesn’t say April, I wonder if there is a God and he has a sick sense of humor, but then it would have to be a really, really sick sense of humor.

4. Evolution

I don’t actually think that evolution disproves creationism, actually if there was an “intelligent designer” this would have been an “intelligent design” to build in. It’s nature’s undo button once you figure out that giving tigers the ability to fly just wasn’t the best idea out on the market. But since the church feels that evolution cannot co-exist with creationism, point me.

5. Intelligent Designs lack of a designer
 


Aren’t we smart, we are truly awesome. Don’t misunderstand me, I love walking on two legs and peeing standing up, but telling me that we have to be created by a magical being just because we exist, begs questioning.

Logic dictates that if (a) we are here so we must have come from somewhere, i.e. a “designer” who is more complex and intelligent than us, then (b) a complex and intelligent designer, would also have to have come from somewhere i.e. a “designer” who is even more complex and intelligent.

If the reasoning for a God is we’re here, then where did he come from? My favorite famous lines are “he always was” and “no one knows”. Shave the wool off your back and follow the herd if you believe that. If someone HAD to have created us, they would have HAD to have been created. If our creator could have ALWAYS been or just magically appeared, then so could we have.

We can’t just assert that God is mightier and he just magically came to be, if that’s the logic, I say someone still had to find him in the bottom of a cereal box, it’s a paradox.

6. Ron Paul is behind in the polls

“Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas) is the leading advocate for freedom in our nation’s capital.” He’s advocating for FREEDOM, come on, how can you not love freedom. He wants to legalize pot and I’ve seen him kiss at least 6 babies in the past week. He wants to get rid of the IRS, imagine a world without angry letters from those bastards! If God existed, Ron Paul wouldn’t be just President, he would have been made Co-God back in the 60s.

7. Pot is illegal but Alcohol is A-Okay

Alcohol, the leading cause of drunk driving, and as such the leading cause of alcohol-related deaths, is totally cool for me to drive down to the liquor store to pick up and binge drink on. On the flip side, lighting up a joint and scarfing down a large pizza or two will get you boned hard. If God was around, he’d rather I eat a bag of Doritos and pass out than get drunk, beat my wife and piss on the couch. The worst that can happen with pot is smoking yourself stupid and passing out, but alcohol makes people angry. Hulk mad. If only there were a God… and then Ron Paul would set the record straight.


8. Bad things happen to good people, great things happen to bad people

For a society that constantly gets the short end of the stick when it comes to miracles, I’ve never fully understood how people can whipe away such an obvious shortcoming with one or two hail marys. If we’re God’s children, how come Bin Laden hasn’t been bent over his knee and beat with a wooden spoon yet? Why the hell are people stopping to help stalled motorists and getting raped murdered, and why is it that every time a girl scout makes it to my door she’s out of thin mints? I’m sick of it. Shortbread cookies suck, they do. There, I said it. Aside from such atrocities, every single day bad people get rewarded, while good people are getting creamed on the side of the road by drunk drivers. Give credit where credit is due, if you’re an asshole, you should have karma spitting in your face, and if you’re a good-looking, stand-up guy who wants some damn thin mints, you should get some damn thin mints.

9. Blind Faith

If we’re supposed to believe in a God, and he wants us to believe in him, and the only way for eternal salvation is to believe, then why can’t he take 30 seconds to hop off his throne made of golden baby carcasses and pop in and have coffee with me tomorrow? Starbucks, 10:30, I’ll buy. If it’s such a big deal to believe, why is it not such a big deal to give a reason to believe in?

10. The proof is in dying

Ever notice how religions promise us stuff that cannot be instantly proven? One of the biggest promises is heaven after we die or in Islam they promise 72 virgins. That has got to be the lowest thing.. promising pussy in the after life for accepting their religion.

The biggest logical fallacy is that a religion can offer us millions and millions of years of heaven for accepting their beliefs for just 100 years max? What is the ratio there there, how can accepting something for 100 years or so get you something for millions of years (or eternity) to come. When something looks too good to be true, it probably is.
Conclusion

I don’t want you to change your views for me, hell I don’t care if you DO believe that Jesus is magic and my house was struck by lightning and swiftly burnt to the ground right after posting this. It’s your life, do what you want, but don’t sit back and take everything you’re told with a spoonful of sugar and a blindfold, that’s for republicans.

About the Author: David enjoys long walks on the beach, casual strolls down the boulevard and writing long and drawn out posts in his underwear in the wee hours of the morning.



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Believe it: This is a Photograph [HDR PIC]

At Nippori station, Tokyo.
3xp(2EV) handheld.

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