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Artist Statement
Installation view - Sand T Solo Exhibit, Student Union Art Gallery at UMass Amherst, March 2009
(Left) Semi-Simple* K-1 Orange , 42" x 42" x 3.25", UV resistant industrial epoxy resin, paint and graphite on clayboard.
* This piece is in the Permanent Collections of the National Art Gallery in Malaysia.
(Right) A grouping of 11 pieces of the 12" x 12" x 2.25"
semi-simple - dot, line, color, surface and light
The primary intention of this body of non-objective work is to create a simple visual experience utilizing the basic elements of dot, line, color, surface and light. I feel the pieces suggest concepts of time, concentration, and the meditative energies of motion. The reductive aesthetic in my work is an overlapping of decidedly contrary visual elements: fluidity vs. structural, opacity vs. transparency, and formalistic vs. introspective.
An oversimplifying approach to art-making is the inspiration behind my work. I describe my work as non-objectional reductive art that deals with the elements of repetition, geometric abstraction and minimalism. This body of work, at first look, appears to be rather simple. However, upon closer inspection, it turns out they are not quite simple, but semi-simple.
I use a combination of UV resistant industrial epoxy resin, graphite, and paint on archival tempered * clayboard or acrylic glass panels. The lines are drawn using graphite in varying weights and grades. Resin droplets are placed on the final surface one at a time. The placement of these two elements is sometimes improvised, sometimes planned until a “visual plane” emerges.
I am fascinated with the interplay of line, dot and light where the relationship of harmony and balance play a significant role. The interplay of the lines, layers of resin, and resin droplets create the 3D effect. The drops serve to both distort and magnify the lines.
Lighting plays an important role in the presentation of my work for it maximizes the viewing experience. When the viewer moves from one side to another of the artwork, they will see a sequence of reflections in the work. Clearly, there is more to be mined from the work when seen in person.
A huge challenge for viewers is not to touch the work. The physical properties of these tactile art objects fill viewers with an almost irresistible urge to touch them. The glistening, shining surfaces give them an appearance of being wet with beaded water.
Many viewers have expanded their imaginations beyond the drops on these tactile surfaces. Some have related the work to rain drops, Braille, deep space, mysterious coding, and even a scientific investigation into some microscopic organism.Though my process is time consuming and labor intensive, working with resin and acrylic glass provides a balance of structure and chaos that is fulfilling to me. It challenges my affinity for problem solving, material sensitivity, time management and organizational skills.
SAND T
February 2010* This archival tempered hardboard panel is coated with an ultra smooth absorbent kaolin clay-ground.
PLEASE NOTE: Photographing this series of work is a challenge for me. The glossy surface and the intricate visual details innate in my art objects are hard to capture with any accuracy. Lighting is extremely important for maximizing the viewing experience as well as photographing this body of work. The source, brightness and angle of the lighting changes the appearance of the object. These fine details are usually not noticeable or distinctive in any image reproductions. Since accurate reproduction very difficult, I invite interested persons to view the original creations at my studio or art exhibit. What could be more satisfying than being able to appreciate a piece of original work of art up close in person.
Interested curators/gallerists are invited to review the original work at my studio/open storage in Malden, Massachusetts and/or my art exhibits. Upon request, original pieces can be brought to your location for review. To schedule a studio visit and/or acquire more images of this series, please email me at info [at] SandTworks [dot] com
clickto view more images of recent work
Comments:
Sand T, Sky Map , UV resistant epoxy resin and graphite on acrylic glass panel , 22"H x 28"W x 1.75"D
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"... I love the minimal nature of the work- its simplicity. They feel jewel-like and optimistic to me. The colors are so vibrant, and the different patterns of what look like water beads give them a very modern and clean edge. The term ‘less is more' is an excellent characterization of Sand T's non-objective work. They are solid, yet elegant; formalistic, yet spiritual."
- Kim Tenenbaum. Urban Elements, Salem, Massachusetts, January 2010
" ...You might want to tie your hands behind your back when you look at Sand T's new paintings. The Malden artist is a big tease at "Touch Me Not," her new solo exhibit of glistening, shining surfaces that will tempt you to reach out and touch to see if they're really wet. The show's theme is simplicity, repetition, and structure. And if you're worried that you'll succumb to temptation, find the one painting that you can touch titled "Please Do Touch."
- June Wuff, Boston Globe, June 2009
Sand T, Magic charm(clear) - 6 x 6 x .25, Resin and graphite on acrylic glass panel
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"... FROZEN in motion and immortalised in time, glistening droplets come to life and dance under lights. But despite their polished brilliance, their beginnings are humble...."
- An excerpt taken from an article written by RouWen Lin, The STAR Magazine Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, March 2009
Installation view, Sand T Solo Exhibit, Student Union Art Gallery at UMass Amherst in March 2009
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"...Though a sense of cleanliness and structure dominate the works there is a luminosity and tactile quality about the thick hard resin drops that contributes a juicy texture to the pieces. Though the works rely heavily on geometric forms and vaguely architectural elements, they avoid projecting any kind of rigidity. In fact, the epoxy resin layers have a hard candy-like quality to them, appearing as though they may melt in the viewer’s hands, or dribble down the wall come summertime...."
- An excerpt from an article written by Caroline Scannell, Collegian UMass Amherst, March 2009.
Sand T, Concentrate (clear) – 5 x 5 x .25, resin and graphite on acrylic glass panel
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"Amazing in every sense! Its hard for me to find the words (as clichéd as it sounds). Best way for me to describe it is to call it a sensory experience. I don't know why, but I have a strange attraction to it, the visual aesthetic is strangely magnetic. It comes at you with its sensuous shapes but at the same time draws you in creating a distorted sense of space...from such a small space! It is one of those curious pieces that holds within its grasp the potential to become an iconic piece of art. That, or a perfect opportunity to squeeze some kind of metaphysical meaning or interpretation for those inclined towards the esoteric. Last century, we had Warhol's oddball Campbell Soup to lift an everyday object into an iconic representative 'zeitgeist' of the age, perhaps in this new century, we have a new contender..."
- Alvin Yang, WA, Australia, March 2008.
Close-up shot. Click
"... Luminous dried resin drops build patterns that look like individual trapped drops of water. Random irregularities can make the drops look like cellular activity or even malfunctioning of motherboard, in the mostly rectangular grids. Careful timelines filled with playful surprises, they are exciting viewing."
- An excerpt taken from an article written by Roanna Forman, artscope magazine Jan/Feb 2008 issue.
Sand T, Voice of Silence – 11 x 11 x 2, Resin, paint and graphite on acrylic glass panel
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"Sand’s latest work (the resin/plexi series) must be seen in person to be fully appreciated. Highly polished surfaces after a rain shower is the best way I can describe the superficial treatments of these pieces. Sand has manufactured two varieties of these “water-beaded” panels: deep black and clear-translucent. The black versions are magnetic and serious in their depth while the clear-translucent ones possess an optimistic jewel-like character. It is hard to say which style is more successful; they alternate in importance. The obsidian density rules one day, the sparkling crystal the next. Regardless of this power struggle, they both offer the viewer fascinating visual qualities."
- Wesley Kalloch, Malden Massachusetts, December 2007.
