Sculpting Materials and installation artists and such!

What struck me about this chapter was that I never realized that so much thought goes into selecting materials.  I never realized this was such an important element in creating a piece of art, and I wasn’t aware of its true importance.  I think it’s cool that artists can sculpt with pretty much any material they want, and it broadens their horizon in the process.  I was interested in the way sculptures select materials and what influences them.  At first I was confused with this idea because sculptures have two options in regards to selecting materials- they adapt the material to their initial idea, and them build the initial response off of that.  I don’t really know what that means, but then as I read more It explained how it’s a physical and metal element being put together that makes selecting certain materials work.  Kind of like a ying and yang idea- two materials you choose to work with can be totally opposite, but they still need to be able to mesh well together.  I think that’s a great perspective to look at that I have never really thought about before.  I think its important to experiment with lots of different materials so it is clear to see what works and what doesn’t.

One installation artist I really admire is tracy lee stum.  She basically rocks my world.  What I really like about her work is that she takes a material so childish and unsophisticated and uses it to its upmost capability to create some of the most unbelievable realistic art I've ever seen.  It's hard to believe that what you're looking at is actually chalk.  Not only are the details, colors, and accuracy impressive, but the element of these pieces that is the most impressive is the perspective and how realistic it looks.  I have very mixed emotions when looking at these drawings, I either get the feeling of vertigo because i feel like someones about to push me into/down her drawing, or i just sit there in awe and disbelief because I can't belive this is real life.  I would post a picture, but theyre all so amazing so see for yourself!!!!!!!

http://www.tracyleestum.com/