Paulownia Tableau
Paulownia Tableau
Leaves caught dancing
Upended branches
Glimpse
Paulownia's summer song
About the installation:
A tableau is a picturesque grouping of persons or objects to create a striking or artistic scene. Historically, these scenes were drawn from history, mythology or religious text. I have captured the natural forms of dried paulownia leaves and recast them as colorful elements in this paulownia tableau. The leaves are supported by paulownia branches and wood bits. This composition is meant to stimulate your imagination and provide a closer look at the natural world.
Linda Lor Gross Artist Statement:
"I use Paulownia leaves, their wood and other natural invasive materials as templates for paper sculpture. The long strong fibers of the washi paper I use are supple enough to capture the subtlety of these ephemeral forms and strong enough to transform them into lightweight durable work.
Although Paulownia trees grow around Philadelphia’s Logan Circle and in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, they are more often found in empty lots, along the railroad tracks, growing through sidewalk cracks and even out of old brick buildings.
I use these leaves, their wood and other natural invasive materials as templates for paper sculpture. The long strong fibers of the washi paper I use are supple enough to capture the subtlety of these ephemeral forms and strong enough to transform them into lightweight durable work.
The cleaning, bleaching and natural air drying of these leaves is a lengthy process, as is the multiple layering of the washi paper. The original template of leaf, gourd or reed gives way to a formal interpretation using color, shape and line. I developed this process over time, through experimentation and studies of sculpture, painting and papermaking. My choice of material stems from the belief that art should speak to the issues of our time. The materials I collect are harbingers of the changing environment.
Displayed individually, in groups, on the wall and in the air as mobiles, my work is referential. A hollow round leaf atop a long stem is an African mask, several leaves undulating together reference a landscape and in a frame, a stemless leaf is a Chinese scholar stone."
