Our incredibly talented stylist, Siddal (Sandra M. Farmer) will be debuting her brand new mixed media collection, Polarity at our West Seattle VAIN location on Thursday, December 10th from from 6 p.m. - 9 p.m for West Seattle's December Art Walk. Check out our exclusive interview with Siddal below for more information about her work, and make sure to stop by the opening reception!
Sandra M. Farmer earned her BFA in Crafts with a focus in Ceramics and a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies in Pre-Art Therapy from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2002. Farmer focuses on figurative ceramics and mixed media and has been teaching ceramics and art for the past 10 years at various studios and institutions including the Children’s Museum of Richmond in Virginia, and The Seattle Art Museum, The Children’s Museum in Seattle, Pottery Northwest, Kirkland Arts Center, Moisher Arts Center, North Seattle Community College and Redmond Clay Studio in Washington. She's been a licensed stylist and with us at VAIN Beauty World since 2012.
You've been working with mixed media and sculpture for a long while; is that your preferred medium? Will polarity include mostly sculpture and clay works, or are you exploring other mediums?
"Yes, I've been working with clay for almost 20 years! Clay is my chosen medium because of its dimensional honesty and tactile immediacy. I use mainly a coil/slab technique creating strength while allowing the figure to emerge accordingly. This show is all ceramic sculpture with some mixed media elements. Clay is definitely my favorite medium, but I have often added other materials like found objects, metal, glass, etc. depending on the piece. Sometimes I find something that speaks to me and build a piece around that, other times I need to search for that special something that will complete the piece."
What inspired this collection? Any themes we should be aware of? Do you have a general artist statement?
"I've been thinking of the word polarity and what it means; how you can feel more than one way at a time, seeing both sides of an issue, and opposites and the threads that connect them. My work for polarity questions and explores the role of nurturer and investigates themes like fear, identity, and choice. Figures reveal their uncomfortable introspection, mostly unsure of their roles while reluctantly accepting associated burdens. I use the figure for immediate recognition and to allow the viewer easier access. My goal is always to connect to the viewer and get a response."
Tell us a little bit about your pieces. Which ones were your favorite to create? How many pieces are you including in the show?
"I made nine hand-sized pieces I've just been calling "the girls;" those were fun and much smaller in size than I normally work with. Parts of those were made with a mold but each piece is very distinctive. There are also three almost life sized heads- "contradiction ," "separation," and "antithesis," a conversation piece called "antagonism," a larger piece called "the gift" and a piece that includes three smaller busts called "The Moirai."
To read more about Siddal at VAIN, check out her profile here and RSVP to polarity on Facebook!