Читать книгу Little Book of Wooden Boxes - Oscar Penn Fitzgerald - Страница 18

Bonnie Bishoff and J.M. Syron met on Martha’s Vineyard in 1987, she fresh out of college and he taking a break from furniture making in Boston. They have been collaborating as artists ever since. He does most of the construction for their pieces, and she does the fine carving and polymer clay designs. Her inspirations are nature, Native American carving, and Art Nouveau.

b. 1963 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

(Bonnie); 1960 Columbus, Ohio (J.M.)

Background: Bonnie: Woodblock printing and theater set construction at Oberlin College; grandfather was tool-anddie maker; mother was tailor. J.M. Studied tool-and-die making at Westchester Community College and trained in furniture making; mother was fiber artist.

Studio location: Brunswick, Maine

www.syronbishoff.com

Our work is a lot about melding things, partly because we’re collaborating, but we’re also bringing two mediums together.

—Bonnie Bishoff

Inner Eye Box, 2008. Bird’s-eye maple, basswood, polymer clay; H. 9" W. 18" D. 9".

Pumpkin Box, 2004. Mahogany, polymer clay; H. 7" Dia. 7". Summer and winter squash served as a model for Pumpkin Box, their first box made by molding polymer clay around a form.

Sun and Shade Wall Hung Cabinet, 2006. Walnut, polymer clay; H. 26" W. 20" D. 12". Essentially a functional painting, Sun and Shade Wall Hung Cabinet was inspired by antique Japanese theater kimonos with botanical patterns and color blocks.

Winter Woods Coffer, 2006. Walnut, cherry, polymer clay; H. 18" W. 22" D. 16". Winter walks in the snow are always an inspiration. Winter Woods Coffer was constructed during a howling winter blizzard.

Persian Box, 2004. Cherry, polymer clay; H. 6" W. 8" D. 8". Named after the domed roofs of ancient Persia, Persian Box was an early attempt at something small, functional, collectable, and unique in its use of polymer clay.

Inner Eye Box, 2008. Bird’s-eye maple, basswood, polymer clay; H. 9" W. 18" D. 9".

Woodland Shade Vessel, 2004. Walnut, polymer clay; H. 11" W. 17" D. 10". Woodland Shade Vessel relates to the Islesboro series, and the pattern in the clay body grew out of an interest in ornamental hostas.

Sea and Sky Altar Coffer, 2006. Mahogany, polymer clay; H. 26" W. 27" D. 19". Based on a ceremonial coffer, Sea and Sky Altar Coffer was made for the 2007 Inspired by China exhibit. It holds Lakota Indian prayer ties that Bishoff used in a healing ceremony after spinal surgery. The “cracked ice” latticework and the wave and cloud forms on the exterior are traditional Chinese motifs.

Java Credenza, 2002. Mahogany, pommele sapeli, polymer clay; H. 38" W. 56" D. 24". Java Credenza was the couple’s first attempt at creating a large case piece using polymer clay veneers. The piece recalls French Art Deco furniture.