A Little Damocles Goes A Long Way

A new sculpture created for the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, 33rd annual auction.

Over many years I've saved most of my drawings and now have thousands of drawings, most in sketchbooks. My origanal motivation was out of fear that I would run out of ideas. I continue to draw, but find that most of my work just happens in my studio without much thought or planning. Once the work starts making itself I can usually find references to it in my earlier drawings, and this can help me develop the idea in a very loose manner. Before the sculpture starts to become resolved I begin making very loose studio drawings, usually on scrap pieces of paper, or at times, on my shop floor. These drawings offer me many options and allow me to relax and run free. The title of the sculpture starts to show up while making these working drawings, and at this time I usually start searching for early important art referances to support the idea...  I draw courage from this process, gaining confidence as I go along.

Click on images to enlarge

below:
Drawings for: A Little Damocles Goes A Long Way
Medium: Graphite on paper (artist sketchbook # 25

Historic Art Reference:  Sword of Damocles, Richard Westall,  1812 

 

New Sculpture: Terry Kreiter

 Title: A Little Damocles Goes A Long Way    2013
Artist: Terry Kreiter
Medium: Unique cast an fabricated bronze (one of a kind, no editions)
Dims: 12 x 9 x 4 inches
Artist note: Created for the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, 33rd Auction. The bird nest on top of the sculpture was inspired by a nest being build outside my studio while making the sculpture.

 

New Photograms

Photograms created for a photography competition: Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara, CA 

 

 

I have been making Photograms for over 20 years, but I have just recently started incorporating appropriated images into them. Before this addition, the photograms were pure abstractions but eluded to imagined imagery in the same way that looking at clouds evoke the imagination.

 A photogram is a photographic image made without a camera by placing objects directly onto the surface of a light-sensitive material such as photographic paper and then exposing it to light. The usual result is a negative shadow image that shows variations in tone that depends upon the transparency of the objects used. Areas of the paper that have received no light appear white; those exposed through transparent or semi-transparent objects appear grey.     
Thanks to Wikipedia

Photograms by Terry Kreiter

  Da Vinci Digging for the Code

Satyr-Day Night Under the White House

Title: DaVinci Digging for the Code, 2013   19 x 7.5 inches,  Gelatin-Silver photogram

Satyr-Day Night Under the White House, 2013, 19 x 7.5 inches, Silver-Gelatin photogram

All photograms printed by Diane Kreiter

Painted glass plates, proofs, masks, and images on transparencies

Terry Kreiter, putting finishing touches to the glass plate, finger painting

The origin of these photograms began with the collection of some favorite images: iconic photographs,  images of some works by Albrecht Durer,  and drawings by Leonardo Da Vinci. Together, in a moment,  they sparked an idea and developed into an interrelated sequence. The rest was easy, especially since Diane would be taking care of the darkroom work.

 

Source material

Albrecht Durer, Self portrait,   1493,  23 years old

Albrecht Durer,  Satyr's Family

Leonardo Da Vinci,  Excavation Machine, pen and ink 1503-04

White House under Truman Reconstruction, 1948-1952  photo: Abby Rowe

Houses in Peril

Houses in Peril

Terry Kreiter   Sculpture

Detail: Kick House, photo: Diane Kreiter

These are the first four sculptures from the "House in Peril" series

Above: from left to right: Jaws House, Clockwork House, Cliff House and Kick House.

The four "Houses of Peril" were created for a solo exhibition at Gallery Blu, San Jose, CA, Curated by Mr. Bruno Morel, gallery director. Accompanying the sculptures were 4 photographs by Diane Kreiter, the photographs are details of the sculptures and were exhibited in juxtaposition with the sculptures.

The idea of the houses came from the feeling of comfort and security that most of us get to enjoy when at home, even though we all know that:

 Things Go Bump In The Night

Jaws House

Artist: Terry Kreiter

Date: 2004

Title: Jaws House

Medium: Unique cast and fabricated bronze

Dims: 12 x 3 x 6 inches  (approximate)

Supporting material: Drawings, artists sketchbook #14

Provenance: Cast by the artist, at artists studio foundry.

Exhibited: 2004, Gallery Blu, San Jose, CA

2004: Private collection, Santa Cruz, CA 

Detail: Clockwork House   photo: Diane Kreiter

Clockwork House

Artist: Terry Kreiter

Title: Clockwork House

Date: 2004

Medium: Unique cast and fabricated bronze

Dims: 8 x 6 x 3 inches  (approximate) 

Supporting material: Drawings, artists sketchbook #14

Provenance: Cast by the artist, at artists studio foundry.

Exhibited: 2004, Gallery Blu, San Jose, CA

Exhibited: 2007, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Artists Gallery, SF, CA

Exhibited: 2009, Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara, CA 

Exhibited: 2012, Mission College, Vargus Art Gallery, Santa Clara, CA

2012: Private collection, San Jose, CA

Clockwork House: Drawing form Artists sketchbook #14

More Terry Kreiter Sculpture

Talking with Duchamp about Kandinski

Terry Kreiter    Sculpture

Talking with Duchamp about Kandinski

Marcel Duchamp   Photo: Kay Bell Reynal   (1952)

 

Wassily Kandinsky, c. 1913 or earlier

 

 

Here's how it came about:  In my studio I get surprise visits. This sculpture, "Boris Descending" is about a visit with Duchamp, and involves Kandinski. It's earliest seed was a postcard that my wife Diane sent me, on it was an illustration of a Kandinski print. Years later came the Duchamp visit which unconsciously influenced the composition of my sculpture. I must explain:  These visits are almost real.

Postcard from Diane:  Kandinski

Wax patterns

My idea was to re-create in wax the shapes in the Kandinski print and cast them in bronze without a preconceived plan for the composition, planning to wait until I saw them in bronze before composing the sculpture.

Bride, Marcel Duchamp, 1912 

Above: Bride, 1912

Oil on canvas,  89.5 x 55 cm

Philadelphia Museum of Art

Right after finishing "Boris Descending" I saw it in my studio through a window, and felt the relationship with the Duchamp composition. I didn't plan this sculpture to be an homage, and maybe I'm the only one that sees this relationship.  I'm lucky, Duchamp doesn't always pay visits these days.

Boris Descending

Artist: Terry Kreiter

Title: Boris Descending

Date: 2007

Dim: 12 x 6 x 12 inches

Medium: Cast and fabricated bronze

Supporting material: Drawings in artists sketchbook #21

Provenance: Cast by the artist in the artists studio foundry

Exhibited: Sculpturesite Gallery, San Francisco, CA

To see more Terry Kreiter sculpture from this series 

Sigmund Freud talks with Salvador Dali

Sigmund Freud talks with Salvador Dali

Terry Kreiter        Sculpture

Sigmund Freud by Max Halberstadt, 1921

Salvador Dali with pet ocelot

Drawing from artists sketchbook #14

"Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar"

Sigmund Freud talks with Salvador Dali      Dali is on the right

Artist: Terry Kreiter

Title: Sigmund Freud talks with Salvador Dali

Date: 2009

Dims: 10 x 4 x 8 inches

Medium: Unique cast bronze with Carrara marble base

Provenance: Cast by the artist in his Santa Clara studio foundry

2010: exhibited at Art Object Gallery, San Jose, CA

Supporting material: Drawing from artists sketchbook #14

Evil Dry-dock

Terry Kreiter

A sculpture from 2002

Evil Dry-dock

Drawing from Artists sketchbook: 2000-2003

A robotic whale used as a weapon

"Every war when it comes, or before it comes, is represented not as a war but as an act of self-defense against a homicidal maniac."
~George Orwell

 

Artist: Terry Kreiter

Title: Evil Dry Dock

Medium: Unique cast and fabricated bronze, there are no molds and no editions

Dimensions: H8 X L13 X W5 inches

Casting Details: The sculpture was cast by the artist, in the artist studio/foundry, Santa Clara, CA

Supporting Material: Artist drawing, ink on cardboard, artist sketchbook 2002

Provenance: 2002-2003 Exhibited, Anchorage Museum of History and Art, Anchorage AK

                        2004 Exhibited, Triton Museum, Santa Clara, CA

                        2004 Exhibited, Gallery Blu, Director, Mr. Bruno Morel, Santa Clara, CA

                        2004 Private collection, Saratoga, CA

 Artist note: I was reading Moby Dick when when I was invited to  exhibit work for The 8th International Shoebox Exhibition, 2003-2006, A World Traveling Exhibition, organized by the University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI. I was so excited about getting invited that I immediately created this piece in order to have it finished for the exhibit, but was told that it exceeded the exhibition limitation, "Sculpture must not exceed 12 inches in any dimension". In order to make the deadline I went to work on Mastodon #3, The Last Haul.

See mastodon #3 The Last Haul

         

                                                         

THE MASTODONS

 Terry Kreiter     Sculpture

Mastodon #3    The Long Haul

Title: The Long Haul   Mastodon #3

Artist: Terry Kreiter

Title: The Long Haul

Date: 2002

Dims: 10 x 13 x 6 inches

Medium: Unique cast and fabricated bronze

Supportive materials: Drawing in artists sketchbook 2000 - 2003

Artist note: Created for the University of Hawaii 8th International Shoebox Sculpture Exhibition

Exhibition highlights
Exactly 145 small sculptures from around the world show how artists have handled the challenges of space and scale dictated by the size of a shoebox. An invitation-only exhibition, this exhibit has attracted a large number of well-known artists from Hawai'i, the U.S. mainland, Argentina, Cuba, Australia, Korea, Japan, China, Thailand, France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Canada, and Mexico.

Each sculpture speaks for itself. Some works are conceptual, some reflect the artist's cultural heritage, and others are universal in expression. Collectively, the sculptures are a powerful commentary on the state of humankind at the end of this industrially and technologically driven century. Artists have used almost every imaginable medium to create their sculptures including cast metal, carved wood, blown glass, woven fiber, handmade paper, molded clay, desiccated vegetables, found objects, shaped lead, and human hair. Visitors can easily find more than one favorite work, and some have been inspired to make their own sculptures.

After its initial showing at The University of Hawaii Art Gallery, 81 works from The 8th International Shoebox Sculpture Exhibition is scheduled to travel to 15 venues, nine in the U.S., five in Taiwan, and Guam. Its final showing will be at the Maui Arts & Culture Center, in October/November 2005. Previous Shoebox Sculpture exhibits organized by the University of Hawai'i Art Gallery were shown in Japan, Taiwan, Mexico, Canada, and Guam as well as the U.S. mainland.

Drawing: Artists sketchbook  2000 - 2003

"The terrorist is the one with the small bomb"

Brendan Behan

Provenance:  

2002: Cast by the artist at artists studio/foundry, Santa Clara, CA

2003 - 2005: Exhibited University of Hawaii 8th International Shoebox Sculpture Exhibition

2007: Exhibited 3 person exhibition, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Artists Gallery 

Mastodon # 1

The trees were heard to say
when the axe entered the forest
"The handle is one of us"

Detail: Mastodon with cart

Mastodon #1  Mastodon with cart

Artist: Terry Kreiter
Date: 2001

Title: Mastodon #1, Mastodon with cart

Dims: 9 x 7 x15 inches

Medium: Unique cast and fabricated bronze

Provenance: Cast by the artist, at the artists studio, Santa Clara, CA

Exhibited: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Artists Gallery, San Francisco, CA

Artist note: The reference to the haiku; "The handle is one of us".... was the inspiration for this piece, thus the mastodon is selling mastodon tusks.

Mastodon #2

Mastodon #2  Mastodon with sled

 

Artist: Terry Kreiter
Date: 2001

Title: Mastodon #2, Mastodon with sled

Dims: 10 x 4 x 15 inches

Medium: Unique cast and fabricated bronze

Provenance: Cast by the artist, at the artists studio, Santa Clara, CA

Exhibited: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Artists Gallery, San Francisco, CA

Artist note: The reference to the haiku; "The handle is one of us".... was the inspiration for this piece, thus the mastodon is pulling a sled loaded with tusks through the snow; a traveling salesman.

Mastodon #4

Mastodon #4  Mastodon of Alhambra with all of his saddles

Artist: Terry Kreiter
Date: 2002

Title: Mastodon #4, Mastodon of Alhambra

Dims: 11 x 6 x 9 inches

Medium: Unique cast and fabricated bronze

Provenance: Cast by the artist, at the artists studio, Santa Clara, CA

Exhibited: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Artists Gallery, San Francisco, CA

Supporting material: Drawing from artists sketchbook 2000 - 2003

Artist Note: My wife Diane told me of her visit to the Alhambra Palace, Grenada, Spain. She described the beautiful columns and I wanted an excuse to honor the columns. I also decided I would make the mastodon with an exquisite saddle. My sculptures are originally made in wax before they are cast in bronze using the lost-wax method. and I often make variations of some of the elements allowing me to have a choice of the parts. In this case I made 5 or 6 saddles with the idea that I would pick the one I liked the best, but I liked them all, I decided that I would place them in the sculpture so the mastodon could show off his wealth.

See how I cast my sculpture in bronze using the lost-wax method 

Alhambra Palace: see the columns that influenced the sculpture

Drawing for Mastodon of Alhambra

Drawing for mastodon saddles

 

  Mastodon #5

Mastodon #5  Mastodon with palm

Artist: Terry Kreiter
Date: 2002

Title: Mastodon #5, Mastodon with palm

Dims: 15 x12 x 9 inches

Medium: Unique cast and fabricated bronze

Provenance: Cast by the artist, at the artists studio, Santa Clara, CAExhibited: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Artists Gallery, San Francisco, CA

Supporting Material: Drawings from artists sketchbook 2000 - 2003. Drawing on watercolor paper, graphite and watercolor, 11 x 15 inches

  

Working drawing for Mastodon with palm

This may be the original Mastodon drawing?

Peace Punk, a new sculpture

 Terry Kreiter

New Sculpture

 

Peace Punk: detail

 

sketch: Artist sketchbook #25

sketch: Artist sketchbook #25

sketch: Artist sketchbook #25

Title: Peace Punk

Title: Peace Punk

Artist: Terry Kreiter

Title: Peace Punk

Date: 2012

Dimensions:  7 x 21 x 3 inches

Medium: Cast and fabricated bronze, fused glass, quartz, and marble stone

Provenance:  Cast by the artist in artists studio foundry, Santa Clara, CA, glass fused by the artist. Surface on side (with the swirls) came from a discarded wax patten given to me by artist Michael Goard. The sketches are working drawings now pasted into sketchbook #25

To see more Terry Kreiter sculpture    click here