Tag: needles

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Working with Hair

Henigman Bruce - woman's work detail

If you read my post about my work with Pins & Needles you will probably appreciate my work with hair.

I work with fine false wig hair as opposed to actual human hair for a couple of reasons. First I think that human hair should be donated to create wigs for people who have lost theirs due to cancer treatments. And secondly people are relieved when I tell them that it is false hair and not the real thing.

Our societies views on hair when not actually attached to our heads is one of disgust? Gross? I’m not sure when the change of view happen. It used to be in Victorian times a more precious thing.  A lock of your loves hair was special and there were many fine objects created from hair; weaved into brooches and lockets and the like.

In my work with hair I juxtapose elements to create conceptual statements regarding vanity, fashion, feminism and religion. You can find some pins & needles in the 3 Hail Mary’s.

Henigman Bruce - woman's-work
Woman’s Work, Encaustic, False Hair on board, 20″ x 30″ | 22.75″ x 32.75″ Framed
Henigman Bruce - Pony From a Different Tale
Pony From a Different Tale, Encaustic, crochet, wig hair, 2.5″w x 18″h x 7.5″d
Henigman Bruce - hair-brush-cut
Hair Brush and Brush Cut, Hair on vintage brushes
Kim Henigman Bruce - 3 Hail Mary's, Full Frontal
3 Hail Mary’s, Full Frontal, Cast Encaustic, oil, books, needles, thread, false hair and found objects, 4″w x 19″h x 4.5″d
Kim Henigman Bruce - 3 Hail Mary's, Backwards
3 Hail Mary’s,backwards, Cast Encaustic, oil, books, needles, thread, false hair and found objects, 4″w x 18″h x 4.5″d
Kim Henigman Bruce - 3 Hail Mary's, Sideways
3 Hail Mary’s, Sideways, Cast Encaustic, oil, books, needles, thread, false hair and found objects, 4″w x 16″h x 4.5″d
Henigman Bruce - Talisman 1
Henigman Bruce – Talisman 1 – Encaustic medium, bobby pins, false hair on book pages, 9h x 2.5w x 2.5d
Henigman Bruce - It Takes a Village
It Takes a Village, Encaustic, false hair, silk ribbon, hand made clay beads on a book, 11″h x 15″w x 2″d overall
Henigman Bruce - Putting on H-airs
Henigman Bruce – Putting on H-airs, 5” dia x 10”ht Wall mount Mixed Media on cast beeswax form
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Pins and Needles

Kim Bruce - Well Heeled
Kim Bruce – Well Heeled

People are either totally fascinated or disturbed by my use of pins and needles in my work and very rarely immune . Since I prefer to work with opposites I find these opposing viewpoints are very apt. I believe my work gets its balance both visually and ethereally by using contrasting elements. When you think of a pin it’s a very feminine object, but it’s hard, straight and sharp. Yet, it’s used with fabrics which are soft, flexible and warm.

By far the piece that draws the most attention when it comes to my use of pins is “Pin Point”.  Pin Point is a cast beeswax figure draped in wax muslin, carved into and plied with hundreds of straight pins. I think Wes Fortune said it best in the review of “MiniArture”.

“The works of Calgary-based artist Kim Bruce illustrate this point in the most elegant fashion. The former interior designer now full time artist creates sculptures that provoke musings about her state of physical, emotional and spiritual well-being and ultimately, our own.”
Wes LaFortune, ffwd,
It’s a small world: Vol 9 No 10, Feb 12, 2004 (PDF)

Pin Point made it into the New York Times when they wrote an article on R & F Handmade (encasutic) Paints at the same time that I was included in a group exhibition at their gallery.

Pin Point will be exhibited in Toronto in the Sculptors Society of Canada’s show this August to Sept 2010.The other pin piece selected for the exhibit is “Pin Head ll” and a non-pin piece “Gangsta” from the All in My Head series. So if you are in Toronto I invite you to stop by.  Please see my “Exhibits” page for details.

Here are some other works with pins, needles and safety pins including Pin Head ll.