DESCRIPTION: 

“Parry” 

Period: Ultra-Contemporary (2019)

Geography: Anchorage, Alaska, USA

Culture: Amurican

Medium: Dark Annealed Steel Wire, 18 ga. & 20 ga.

Dimensions: 12 in high, 9 in wide, 9 in deep

Classification: Wire Sculpture of Spermophilus parryii (aka Arctic Ground Squirrel)*

Credit Line: On loan to the Met from The Padgett Family Foundation

Accession Number: 18.35.2959

*Please note: Arctic ground squirrels do not have ears per se.  Instead, they have holes in the sides of their head.  Ears would probably freeze off anyway.  Artistic license to add ears to the sculpture was considered but rejected in case the artist decides to make a whole series of different species of squirrel.

ANALYSIS: Our text book (p. 119, Zelanski & Fisher Shaping Space, 1987) defines line as “an area whose length is considerably greater than its width” Wire certainly meets the definition of line.  Line predominates as the main design element of this sculpture.  Other design elements prevalent in this sculpture include value, mass/volume, space and texture..

Thicker wire (ie lines) describe the overall shape of the squirrel.  Thinner wrapped wire creates value contrast by emphasizing the darker areas of the squirrel, namely the eyes, nose and mouth.  

Placement of the wires describes mass/volume and planes from all viewpoints.  The head is spherical in shape with a protruding snout, and the neck is cylindrical.  

Line/wire also provides additional information about the sculpture in the form of the latin words, “S. parryii,” the genus & species of the arctic ground squirrel.

Line is also implied in two different ways.  First, the squirrel seems to be sitting very still, staring intently at something, implying a line from the squirrel’s eyes to the object. Line is also implied in the surface spaces between the wires.  For example, based on the protuberance of the eyes and the sunkenness under the chin, the viewer’s eye fills in the lines & surfaces making up the squirrels cheeks and jowls.  

INTERPRETATION: Though constructed mainly of steel baling wire, Parry has taken on a personality.  He has a very friendly appearance.  If we want to apply any human traits to a squirrel, the natural shape of his mouth seems to be smiling.  He seems to be looking at a human, waiting expectantly for a tidbit of food to be thrown his way.  

EVALUATION:  This sculpture is crafted just well enough that you can tell it’s some sort of friendly creature.  From that perspective, it is successful in helping us forget it’s just a big wad of baling wire and instead think of it as a living creature with personality.

Working with the wire was very challenging for me.  I quickly realized I needed safety glasses as ends of wire waggled all over my work area while I shaped Parry.  The main joins include looping one wire over another wire, and creating a bend in the straighter wire to hold that join in place.  I also used metal tape, colored dark with alcohol ink, for some of the joins, especially in creating the letters.  

The artistic videos assigned for the project were very inspiring, and the technique videos were very helpful.  The first video was especially helpful when the artist said something like, “plan on rubbishing a lot of wire.”  That freed me up to try things, toss them, and remember one of my favorite art mantras, “It’s all practice” (relates back a little to the Elizabeth Gilbert video).  Mad Rob’s video was especially entertaining.  And the technique of taping plastic over our wiring diagram then forming and taping wire to the plastic made this project so much easier.  I think we should all make videos of our projects employing colored lights flashing at our work from all angles.  That was so cute! 

If I were to do a project like this again, I would create a wooden form to work around.  It would be nice to have a 3D object to brace against and to help form the overall shape.  And it would be helpful to not be able to see through the project.  It was very distracting to see the wires from the other side and to see the objects on my work table.  It helped a lot to make lots of final adjustments inside the light box where there were fewer visual distractions.  

Creating this sculpture helped me better understand the form of squirrels and is helped inform paintings I make, some photos of which are included below. Acrylic on cotton paper, 15x22", on exhibit at South Restaurant in Anchorage, AK March & April 2019 and at Williwaw Social in Anchorage May 2019.