Author Archive: thomasrgriffith@mac.com

Angel

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Angel

Dimensions variable, roughly 27 x 20 x 9"

Constrained gourds (grown in molds), wire, section of deer antler.

Growing Modified Gourds

Growing Modified Gourds

Many of the gourds that I use in my pieces are grown in molds.

The following images show some of that process.

Gourd Removed From Mold

Casting Trees

Casting Trees

Painting A Layer Of Latex On A Tree

Trees that had been damaged by logging or blowdowns were painted with multiple layers of latex in the early spring.  I am wearing a bug suit, because the blackflies are ridiculous at this time of year in the woods!

Painting A Layer Of Latex On A Tree

Painting A Layer Of Latex On A Tree

After several layers of latex have cured the cast is pulled from the tree.

Latex Cast Removed

Cadence

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Cadence

A collaborative piece by Susan Camp and Wayne Hall

Constrained gourds (grown with wood constraints), beech and maple

Dimensions variable

Under the Silence

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Under the Silence –Governors Island Residency and installation

Work created during a collaborative residency on Governor’s Island, N.Y. with artist/activist Traci Molloy.

Our exhibit investigated what happens under the surface, where it may seem that all is still.   Just as the mycelium under the ground are necessary for the fruiting bodies of mushrooms to emerge, the underlying systems of the human body (like the circulatory system, the lymphatic system etc.) function without our direct attention.  By combining the visually accessible results of these hidden systems we are paying homage and reflecting on some of the unseen forces that occur when we seem to be at rest but are necessary for recognizable motion.

 

Responding to the palimpsest of history in our room on Colonial’s Row, explored adaption and resilience from both cultural and evolutionarily perspectives.  The finished installation investigated interspecies entanglements and was guided by questions of visibility and adaptability, trauma and resilience.

Woman Vessel 3 (Woman At The Well)

Constrained gourds

22h x6w x9.5”d

Rumination about the biblical story, and the role of women as those who serve.

For Sale – 3,500.00

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Ear

A collaborative piece by Susan Camp and Traci Molloy

Indigo-painted antique linen, gourds

Dimensions variable – roughly -14x33x2”

Created for residency exhibition on Governors Island, N.Y.  This piece was part of an installation (see more in the installation/performance section).  We considered what happens below the surface, both in humans and in plant species - How do bodies – both plants and humans – adapt and modify in order to survive? What is the impact of a moving catalyst, what is the residue, and where does it lead us individually and collectively as a society?

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Eye

A collaborative piece by Susan Camp and Traci Molloy

Indigo-painted antique linen, latex mushroom casts.

Dimensions variable roughly 18x15”

Created for residency exhibition on Governors Island, N.Y.  This piece was part of an installation (see more in the installation/performance section).  We considered what happens below the surface, both in humans and in plant species - How do bodies – both plants and humans – adapt and modify in order to survive? What is the impact of a moving catalyst, what is the residue, and where does it lead us individually and collectively as a society?

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Hand

A collaborative piece by Susan Camp and Traci Molloy

Indigo-painted antique linen, latex mushroom casts.

Dimensions variable roughly 31x28”

Created for residency exhibition on Governors Island, N.Y.  This piece was part of an installation (see more in the installation/performance section).  We considered what happens below the surface, both in humans and in plant species - How do bodies – both plants and humans – adapt and modify to survive? What is the impact of a moving catalyst, what is the residue, and where does it lead us individually and collectively as a society?

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Medusa’s Revenge (Self-Portrait With Progeny)

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Medusa’s Revenge (Self-Portrait With Progeny)

Constrained (mold grown) gourds, stain. Dimensions variable, roughly 32x34x12”

Medusa is a mythical hybrid woman, whose appearance was altered by Athena as punishment for having been raped in Athena's temple by Poseidon.  I have surrounded my image (a gourd grown in a cast of my face) with some of my garden progeny, an ode to Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and our relationship with and reliance on other species to understand our complete nature.

Mass MoCA – performance

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Mass MoCA

In January of 2020, I was an artist in residence at Mass MoCA.  During my time there I worked with natural latex casts made from gourds, wasp nests, mushrooms, and trees to create wearable pieces. These pieces are the start of a body of work exploring how “natural” materials are marketed. With this work, I am considering consumer responsibility and corporate manipulation. How much can we address environmental degradation through our purchasing power?  Is “nature” being marketed to us in a way that is designed to make us feel better about buying more and yet sustaining the status quo?

These pictures are from a photo shoot in the museum.  Artist Qinza Najm and I wore some of the prototypes.  Artist and fashion photographer, Heather Renee Russ, took all the pictures.

Thank you to the museum, assets4artsits, and my amazing new friends.  It was so much fun!

Performance Still 1

Wearables and pocketbook made from natural latex casts of trees, mushrooms, and gourds. Dimensions variable

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Performance Still 2

Wearables and pocketbook made from natural latex casts of trees, mushrooms, and gourds. Dimensions variable.

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Performance Still 3

Wearables and pocketbook made from natural latex casts of trees, mushrooms, and gourds. Dimensions variable

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Performance Still 4

Wearables and pocketbook made from natural latex casts of trees, mushrooms, and gourds. Dimensions variable.

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Performance Still 5

Wearables and pocketbook made from natural latex casts of trees, mushrooms, and gourds. Dimensions variable.

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Necklace

Latex casts of mushrooms made into a necklace.

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Untitled

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Untitled

A collaborative piece by Susan Camp and Wayne Hall

Apple wood and etched copper.

2 pieces each roughly 6’x1’x3”

Constrained Justice

Constrained Justice

Constrained gourd (grown in mold), frame. 27x18x4”

This piece is constructed to reference lady justice. Historically the blindfold in this context represents impartiality, the ideal that justice should be applied without regard to wealth, power, or other status.   But blindfolds (and political institutions) have also been used to keep the wearers in the dark, restricting our most developed sense, depriving the wearer of visual agency.

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