Collaboration: Terry Kreiter, and Fred Virdeh

A new collaboration with Fred Virdeh

Metal: Terry Kreiter     Wood: Fred Virdeh

This project is a homage to Pieter Bruegel the Elder, and is based on his painting: The Triumph of Death  c. 1562

Precisely, it's based on a small area of the painting on the top left

Detail of The Triumph of Death  c. 1562

 

Triumph of Death c. 1562,  oil on panel, 46 x 63.8 inches

The Painter and the Connoisseur   c.1565
Thought to be Bruegel's self portrait.

link to: Pieter Bruegel the Elder  Wikipedia

Original drawing: Terry Kreiter

Some early concept drawings and projects starting in 2010

Origin of the project
Drawing on paper: Fred Virdeh, 2010

Early concept drawing: Terry Kreiter 2010

Early concept drawing: Terry Kreiter 2010

First castings completed on Feb 26, 2014

project continues

Dimensional drawing used by Terry Kreiter and Fred Virdeh

Cast base legs: Still in the rough

Alignment fixture for welding tree trunk

Base and tree trunk ready to weld 

Trial assembly using mock-up boxes and some of the cast elements

Above: works in progress, Fred Virdeh  2014
lamp base woodwork

Welding progress  (March, 2014)

Note:  The collaborations between Fred and I always end with two unique, yet very similar sculptures. We make the individual parts in duplicate, keeping the dimensions, surfaces and details as close as possible to one another. 

Fred Virdeh

Cobra Desk Project

Desk by Fred Virdeh

Above is an elegant, one of a kind desk designed and built by Fred Virdeh. The details on the desk elude to our current collaboration which is being documented in this post. 

Desk detail: Graphic elements are references to the Bruegel painting

Desk detail: Graphic elements are references to the Bruegel painting

Previous collaboration 

Fred Virdeh and Terry Kreiter

Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History
Table: Fred Virdeh and Terry Kreiter, edition of 2

photo: Diane Kreiter,   left: Terry Kreiter   right: Fred Virdeh
    Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, Santa Cruz, CA

Silicon Valley Small Works II

Silicon Valley Small Works II 

A Juried Art Exhibition in the Vargas Gallery at Mission College

 Santa Clara, California

 Oct 30th - Dec 12th,  2013

Juror: Lindsey Kouvaris, Curator for the de Saisset Museum

Artist Note: My work was not accepted for this exhibition. I was disappointed, but this is certainly not my first rejection; sometimes you get in, sometimes you don't. Here's the good news, my wife Diane Kreiter will have 2 entries in the show. They are beautiful toned gelatin-silver photographs:

Photographs: Diane Kreiter

Artist: Diane Kreiter

Title: Paradise Leaf

Dims: 4 1/2 x 6 1/2 inches

Medium: Toned gelatin-silver photograph

Artist: Diane Kreiter

Title: Parrot Tulip

Dims: 4 1/2 x 6 1/2 inches

Medium: Toned gelatin-silver photograph

Sculpture: Terry Kreiter

Artist: Terry Kreiter

Title: The Key To The Treasure Is The Treasure    2005

Medium: Unique cast and fabricated bronze

Dims: 6 x 10 x 3 inches

Artist: Terry Kreiter

Title: Talisman Maximus  2011

Medium: Cast and fabricated bronze, stone, and quartz

Dims: 9 x 6 x 7 inches

Artist: Terry Kreiter

Title: Mr. Blue Ball    2006

Medium: Unique cast and fabricated bronze, copper, cast and slumped glass

Dims: 9 x 4 x 4 inches

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