Meeting Notice – May 20, 2009
Apr 28th, 2009 by Harvey
Kim Winkle will demonstrate for us. Kim is a furniture maker in Smithville, TN. She received her MFA in Furniture Design at San Diego State University and has been the wood Artist in Residence for 3 years at Appalachian Center for Craft. Her work has exhibited nationally including the Museum of Contemporary Craft in Portland, OR, and Center for Contemporary Craft, Houston, TX. For this session, Kim will turn a small foot stool and then turn it into a work of art.
Artist’s Statement:
Employing traditional furniture making techniques and materials, I build forms and structures with results that are untraditional. My interest lies in the pursuit and potential of the medium as an expressive device and vehicle versus mere function. I use hardwood, paint, and graphite to create my works, which are streamlined in form to better play the role of an empty canvas for color and line. I paint and draw onto the surface of the wood, therefore, I use common wood species that are visually less distinctive. This painting is not an act of irreverence for the material; instead I am interested in realizing its potential as something other than its normal self. My color palette is rich yet flat. I activate the painted surface with drawn marks consisting of varied arrangements of lines and dots. The combination of these marks result in an exciting and somewhat quirky dialogue of characters. These inscriptions serve as pattern, embellishment, and residual evidence of my hand. I strive to create an apparent sense of spontaneity, nuance, chaos yet order, rhythm and gesture with these marks; all working in concert to imbue the object with individuality and charm.
I am seeking to find a balance of proportion, form and surface enhancement so that I can transform the common furniture format into something that is very uncommon. My goal is to create an object that is sophisticated yet approachable, has intention but is not overly serious, displays equilibrium between function and design and, in the end, brings pleasure and something new to the user.
