Recording natural history - ”Mute Testimony”

August 11, 2020 Cindee Klement

Recording natural history

Mute Testimony.3” X 6” X 4”bronzephot by Nash Baker — ***Mute Testimony***.
3” X 6” X 4”
bronze
phot by Nash Baker

A fossil is our planet’s recorded history, the memoir of a life in a place, time, ecology, and evidence of global warming. It is Endangered Knowledge.

Many processes in art and the natural world lead to fossilization, including casting or mold making. I crafted a mold of a fossil that one of my children found at my son Griffin’s 8th birthday party in El Paso, Texas. It was a fossil hunting party at Cerro de Cristo Rey. (The intersection of two countries and three states, a special place.) A prehistoric relic, now a family treasure, I thought it would be meaningful to make a mold and cast it in bronze for each of my two children, a reminder of their childhood. A mold-of-a-mold a fossil-of-a-fossil. I found the redundancy poetic.

My son is now 31 years old. I have probably walked by the fossil once a day since Griffin was eight years old and did not think twice about it. Casting, it has forced me to think about the form and its value as an object of art. Evidence of aquatic life resurrected from the middle of the Chihuahuan desert— This poetic symbol of desertification will find meaningful ways to wander across disciplines into future environmental works.

Hearing, “this desert was once an ocean.” did not use to phase me. Thinking about the mineral remnant of a sea creature surfacing in one of the driest terrains in the US gives me pause; it makes me consider how we can live our urban lives and preserve natural systems.

I cast three additional fossils to share with others who are interested in natural history; two are finished in a natural patina and one in a contemporary finish — polished stainless steel.

Traces of ancient life tell story of early diversity in marine ecosystems

Stainless Steel finish changes everything 🤔 more to come

The Shadow of the Texas Rangers- artist statement update

August 10, 2020 Cindee Klement

As life happens, the lens we see through shifts. The lens I interpret this work through has adapted to current events.

As a result, I am updating my artist statement.

The Shadow of the Texas Rangers - late 1920's, The Texas Rangers in Fabens, Texas (a suburb of El Paso). During prohibition, the Texas Rangers traveled to the Texas/Mexico border, to deter the smuggling of illegally distilled alcohol. While on the border, they boarded in my grandparent's home; they became family friends. My reference photo for these drawings of the Rangers hung in my Grandparent’s home. As a child in the 60’s the photo always intrigued me. I was in awe of the well-heeled, respected law officials confidently posed in front of the rugged mountain and their curiously shaped shadows. I wondered why Granny Gene had a photo of the mythical cowboys and their rifles.

My father did not remember much about the Rangers; ironically, he did remember having a house full of thirsty Texas Rangers and accompanying his father to the edge of the Rio Grande River. His father would leave cash under a rock, the next day a bootlegger from Mexico would wade across the river on a mule, retrieve the compensation and place bottles of booze in the hole under the rock. This is when the term ”mule” surfaced.

The proud history of the Texas Rangers I grew up with has suffered from stories of abuses of power. In the historical photo, the overpowering southwestern sun reveals the dark shadows that tarnish the Rangers’ reputations.

Looking at this image today, through the experiences of 2020, the focus rests heavily on the dark shadows in law enforcement. Unfortunately, the deplorable actions of a few can ruin the reputation of a group. In this drawing, there is a balance of light and dark. It is important to remember history as it was experienced by the people living at the time but it is also important not to turn a blind eye to the dark side of our history. Finding this balance is where we are in 2020. It is time that we hold law enforcement to higher standards and that they find ways to police their own.

There is more good than bad. If you look for it, you will find it. The only reliable way to instill change is to lead by example and to recognize and celebrate those who are doing it right.

what we think we become

August 8, 2020 Cindee Klement

I started this piece 1 1/2 years ago but neglected to have it photographed until this week. Seeing it through the photographer’s eye, it has an additional layer of meaning in 8/2020.

Originally it was a maquette for a memorial piece. We ended up going a different path for the memoriam. Personally I was happy this piece emerged from the event and cast it in bronze. It resonates with me because years ago I became fascinated, completely sucked in by modern neurology. Neurology was my obsession. I read everything a Mom could get her hands on. My favorite was Phantoms in the Brain by V. S. Ramachandran. The brain is amazing and especially since neurologists have learned that it is plastic and is changed with everything you do, everything you tell yourself or others tell you changes your brain. This knowledge is what gives every human a chance for hope. Dreaming is the first step, and self-talk is hugely important. You can control how you see the world, and how you see yourself, “fake it until you make it works“. What you think you will become”.

The additional layer - living through a pandemic is choosing how one reacts to stressful and depressing situations. Humans choose how we react and how we see. “what you think you will become”. The texture of the piece is composed of repetitive arched lines, they are mirrored in the profiles/contours of the work. It is an abstract sculpture but I clearly read “what we think we become”. What we look for we will find, 8/2020 is a good time to control your thoughts and look for the light. If you look for it you will find it.