Pencil!
My pencil is like a fencer’s foil. – Andrew Wyeth
Jennifer Maestre, Sea Urchin
Jennifer Maestre constructs unwieldy organic forms using pencils and pencil shavings that bloom like unworldly flowers. The artworks are designed to simultaneously attract the viewer but also offer a certain aesthetic defense. (thisiscolossal)
The spines of the urchin, so dangerous yet beautiful, serve as an explicit warning against contact. The alluring texture of the spines draws the touch in spite of the possible consequences. The tension unveiled, we feel push and pull, desire and repulsion. The sections of pencils present aspects of sharp and smooth for two very different textural and aesthetic experiences. Paradox and surprise are integral in my choice of materials.- Maestre
See
As an artist and teacher, school supplies thrill me. It is the potential and freshness of new materials. It also reminds me of the feeling I get walking through a hardware store, fabric store, bead shop… All of the possibilities! These inventive artists focus on the humble pencil. When was the last time you used a #2?
Tara Donovan, “Colony” (2005)
George Hart, 72 Pencils
Curtis Ingvoldstad, Loti Pencil
In 2022, Minneapolis resident John Higgins hired chainsaw sculptor Curtis Ingvoldstad to carve a 180-year-old wind-damaged bur oak tree in his front yard into "Loti Pencil", an enormous public art piece that the two hoped would become the next Spoonbridge and Cherry.
Salavat Fidai, Micro Sculptures
GREY DOG, Federico Uribe
Uribe's sculpture, a life-sized puppy crafted from colored pencils, reflects themes of innocence, youth, and the burgeoning creativity of a growing mind.
Say
The pencil has got to be one of the most approachable objects in the Western world. It is so familiar and ubiquitous in our youth and a powerful symbol of potential.
What memories does a fresh #2 pencil bring to mind for you?
Which of the artworks above is most impressive to you, and why?
Which piece has added meaning because of the use of pencils as material?
Do
Create an artwork out of pencils!
Sculpt with them
Draw them
Glue them to a flat surface
Make a stop-motion animation using one or more to tell a story with Stop Motion Studio or other easy-to-use apps.
Molly Gambardella, Color Blind
About Jennifer Maestre
Jennifer Maestre is a Massachusetts-based artist born in 1959 in Johannesburg, South Africa. She is best known for her pencil sculptures. Maestre was originally inspired by the form and function of the sea urchin.
I experimented with other pointy things and techniques and finally hit on turning pencils into beads and sewing them together. Using this combination of technique and materials allows me to retain all the qualities that I want in my work, with the potential for more variety of forms.
”I don’t have a name for my style. It is repetitive, organic, and I guess, a little obsessive. Can I add playful, even though how that fits in with my above descriptions, I’m not really sure.” Maestre
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