Balsa Wood and Japanese Tissue: New Sculpture by Terry Kreiter

For over forty years bronze has been my prefered media for making sculpture. I prefer it for its durability, capabilities and history. All of these qualities have their negative sides; heavy, unyielding, and requiring a complicated and demanding process. The finish requires welding, grinding and lots of noise and dangers.

I've decided to lighten my load temporarily and experiment with new materials; balsa and tissue. Both balsa and tissue are light, delicate, and the tissue is ephemeral and transparent. As a child, I made model airplanes from balsa and tissue, so I did have some familiarity. I returned to the model airplanes to familiarize myself with the materials and process, and to learn more about the engineering of the structures. The structures made from these materials are very light, and the titles used for the sculptures come from their weight.

Title: 18 Grams     2017

Artist: Terry Kreiter

Medium: Balsa and Japanese tissue.

Dims: 16 x 12 x 3 inches

Balsa and tissue model airplane.

Plans for above model. Most of these plans come from 1930's thru 1950's.

Using the elements from a model to explore my ideas, and to see 

what the sculpture could look like.

Model elements stacked out of order have an interesting

look due to their ambiguous forms.

Model elements stacked with the help of gravity.

Further experimentation using tissue to cover

 sections of the model parts.

Model airplane assemblies with some tissue used.

Title: 18 Grams    2017

Artist: Terry Kreiter

Medium: Balsa and Japanese tissue.

Dims: 16 x 12 x 3 inches

Delusional Interstellar Psychosis - or - Whale of a Tail -- A sculpture created for the Institute of Contemporary Art - ICA - San Jose, CA -- For the 2017 Exhibition and Auction

Institute of Contemporary Art - ICA -  San Jose, CA  --  For the 2017 Exhibition and Auction

Thanks to Kevin Pratt for securing this photo.

My Creative Process:

Without conscious thought, I gather from literature, music, conversations, and art (both mine and others). I start my art hoping for a random bag full of these references to spill out in a stream of consciousness onto my sketchbooks and eventually onto my workbench. The final sculpture is a happening; a composition using all or most of the objects that evolved from the confusion and mixed metaphors that they were born with. Toward the end, I'm never quite sure if they are constructed or deconstructed.

above: Ambergris Nocturne, 8 x 10 inch, Cliche Verre - Silver gelatin print,

Artist: Terry Kreiter    printed by Diane Kreiter

above: Waxes, some of the original pieces used in the "lost wax" process

Delusional Interstellar Psychosis-or-Whale of a tail

Artist: Terry Kreiter

Title: Delusional Interstellar Psychosis -or- Whale of a Tail. Date: 2017, Dims: 18 x 11 x 8 inches, Medium: unique (one of a kind) cast and fabricated bronze with a 300 million-year-old stone. Supporting material: sketches in artists sketchbook #27-2017. The sculpture was cast by the artist in his Santa Clara, CA studio/foundry. The sculpture is one of a kind, there are no editions, and no molds were made.

above: Delusional Interstellar Psychosis -or- Whale of a Tail

above: conceptual drawing from artists sketchbook #27-2017

above: The missing pieces. These pieces were cast as part of the Stream of consciousness process. I was not able to work them into the final composition of the sculpture. Heavy-handed metaphors

San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art

New 2017 Drawings using iPad Pro

Using an iPad Pro and "Procreate app for iPad", I'm creating drawings that start in my sketchbook and get finished on my iPad. 

It's an Experiment, an Exploration.

Title: Illuminated Boris  2017  dims: 8 x 11 inches  archival pigment print

Title: Orange-You Glad Tool   2017   dims: 8 x 8 inches  archival pigment print

Title: X-Ray Specs  2017  dims: 8 x 11 inches   archival pigment print

Title: Red Flyer   2017  dims: 8 x 11 inches archival pigment print