Lucy Bailey and K. Wayne Thornley are no strangers to making and testing the limits of their art—separate and together—but their new exhibition is a deep dive into experimentation for both of them. LIFE.FORMS: Interpretations in Mixed Media is inspired by the “what if” conversations we all have about how our life ended up being, well, our life.
“Last summer we [Wayne and Lucy] were having a conversation about the vast range and incredible impact of those variables [that affect life]: heredity, time in history, societal context, environment, family, geography, individual choices, etc.,” the pair share, “We both had separately been thinking about how these ideas might be expressed in our art and the conversation led us to explore it together. We signed on the line for this show before we had produced a single piece, which lit the motivational fire we needed.”
As they began creating, some ideas and influences kept repeating, particularly nature versus nurture and the butterfly effect. Together they kept searching through the tension between these major life moments that permanently define us and the small, seemingly innocuous moments whose ripples we often have no idea alter us so intensely. The title itself came from Thornley, who sees forms as “both a noun and verb, reflecting biological forms of life and the dynamic process of forming a life. The show has remained pretty true to those initial thoughts.”
Viewers of the exhibit can expect an inventive use of materials and techniques from the experimental duo who both “[took] a great deal of pleasure in the process of pushing materials into unintended uses.” Specifically, Thornley’s work is rooted in biological imagery or, “the essential building blocks of life forms as we know them,” whereas Bailey’s “focus is more rooted in narratives around environmental determinants.”
Bailey is well-known for her clay sculptures but made an intentional effort to move away from clay while still working with malleable materials. Her main material in this show? Vintage children’s clothes—specifically the unisex baby and toddler gowns popular in the early 1900’s.
“Combining textiles and mixed media invited exploration of new techniques, which was challenging, fun, and messy,” Bailey reveals, “I rust-dyed, embroidered, and burned the clothing. I transferred photographs onto fabric. I worked with silkworm cocoons and cicada wings. I learned some very basic slow stitching and couching techniques and I distressed fabric by pulling out individual threads.”
Bailey’s work is typically rife with personality as faces and figures pervade her work. However, these faceless pieces are no less emotional and full of life in her opinion: “Absent a face or figure, clothing is still highly personal, and it holds an echo or remembrance of the person who once inhabited it, so I feel like this work remains figurative in a sense.”
Thornley agrees that his process has been adaptive and constantly evolving, though in some ways it is almost a natural extension of the branching out into mixed media he has explored recently. Thornley has been painting 2D for decades, but in the past couple of years, he has begun creating more 3D works—specifically houses with miscellaneous objects.
“Some of the outcomes have been successful and inspiring; others have been disastrous. For me, those successes and failures become part of the evolution of my own creativity,” Thornley intimates, “As for my experiments with form, I definitely think our concept for this show served as a catalyst for me to merge my love of wire forms with mixed media.”
With this show, Thornley began with materials familiar to him before incorporating brand new ones—ones he plans to continue his relationship with: “I see many of these new objects as maquettes for much larger pieces. Just as cells divide and multiply, creating matter that can be microscopic or gargantuan, I think the ideas sparked while making these new works will give new life to future creations.”
Regardless of the materials used, both artists are exploring the edges of and pushing the boundaries of form, while crafting narrative around/with ideas and images of life itself. Each piece will present a unique experience for the viewer and no one person will have the same encounter with the show.
“Hopefully, contemplating what forms this ‘one wild and precious life’ (as Mary Oliver says in her poem ‘The Summer Day’) will prompt people to consider not only the influences shaping our own lives but how we effect the lives of those around us,” the duo details, “How people react to the work will actually reflect the LIFE.FORMS theme: each persons’ interpretation will be a result of their own experiences. We hope the art will kindle something unique in everyone.”
LIFE.FORMS will be featured at Stormwater Studios with an Opening Reception on May 11th from 5pm – 8pm. An Artist Talk will take place on Sunday the 21st of May at 2pm. Stormwater Studios is located at 413 Pendleton Street.
“In terms of what it means to be human, we are contemplating the tension between how simultaneously fragile and resilient we are in the face of everything that happens in our lives,” the artists emphasize, “What magic of genetics and epigenetics sets us in motion? How many potential courses might a life take based on what happens or fails to happen for us? How much of this are we aware of as it unfolds and how much is only visible from the vantage point of time?”