ELUSIVE PRIZE: WONDER, WING & TRANSMUTATION
B Y
B R A N D O N
G R A V I N G
A R T I S T ' S S T A T E M E N T
In Elusive Prize: Wonder, Wing & Transmutation, I explore themes of alchemy, science, and the human pursuit of an elusive prize in the name of immortality. Inspired by the texts and materials from the Kinney Center’s rare book collection, I use iron gall inks, vellum, and other historically specific pigments in both sculpture and monoprints to persue ideas of ambition taking wing in the early modern world and our own.
A permeating and iconic representation of human aspiration across time is the wing. From acclaimed paintings of angels who guard or hover over us, to winged figureheads who protect sailors, and cherubs who peek from the edges of early printed maps, we celebrate and admire wings. As early modern literature and emblem books caution, the mythical Icarus soars too close to the heat of the sun and his man-made wings, waxed to his body, fail as he plummets into the waves below. The abstracted wing shape you see here at times also references flames or waves that gesture toward the shifting forms of human ambition from Prometheus stealing fire from the Gods to merchants crossing stormy seas. This shape invites us to reflect on the wonder and recklessness of our own hubris.
Early modern alchemists also sought an “elusive prize” an elixir for eternal life or a method to turn base metals to precious ones. One aspect of alchemy is learning the subtle properties of a substance in order to manipulate it. Similarly, I researched the distinct material elements of ink, animal skin, pigment, and paper in the Kinney Center’s collection to study and manipulate some of these same substances in the works presented here. Knowledge of the component parts of a given ink or paper is a vital aspect of my work. By fabricating historical substances, I explore intimate connections between past and present.
G L O S S A R Y
Abaca: A fast growing plant like banana or hemp with long fibers make this a very strong paper even when used in only a gossamer thinness.
Cam Wood: A substance I collected while living in Cameron. It is commonly used in rituals prior to a young girl’s marriage. I love its various rich red tones and I have been using it in my prints for years. It is in all of the “Vows Towards Peace” monoprints.
Dahlia flowers: Pigmented and ground flowers were used in “Transmutation #9”.
Honey and Black Locust wood: Burned this winter in our wood stove, sifted, ground, and fabricated into an oil-based ink used in all of the “Vows Towards Peace” monoprints.
Iron Gall Ink: Loved during the Renaissance for its dark richness, I used this material in all the “Vows Towards Peace” monoprints to recall the 17th-century sheets of music on linen paper I studied at the Kinney Center which employ this ink.
Lapis Lazuli: Ground stone was used in “Transmutation #4”.
Sheepskin: One of many animal skins used in the Renaissance (along with calf and goat skins) for book making and book binding.
A B O U T T H E A R T I S T
Brandon Graving is a sculptor and printmaker who often works on a very large scale in mediums that include bronze, neon, paper, resins, steel, and wood. She is the owner and master printmaker at Gravity Press Experimental Print Shop which holds one of the largest platen presses in the world. Her work has been exhibited widely in museums, as well as public and private collections.
Learn more about her work: www.brandongraving.com