Retrospect Galleries are pleased to have been invited to participate in the inaugural edition of the Semana Profesional del Arte in Oviedo, Spain that takes place from the 4th to the 14th of June. This high profile initiative is organised by the Fundación Municipal de Cultura de Oviedo (Cultural Foundation of the City of Oviedo) featuring prominent national and international artists including Antonio Lopez the distinguished Spanish realist painter who will give a talk at the Oviedo Philharmonic.
Retrospect Galleries will show a selection of new artworks by gallery artists Alberto Sánchez (Spain/Australia), Betsy Enzensberger (USA), Gabriel Moreno (Spain), Monica Fernandez (Mexico), Lantomo (Italy/Spain), and Stefan Yordanov (Bulgaria/Netherlands). The Retrospect showcase will be exhibited at the Fábrica de Armas de La Vega, a former weapons factory that will open the doors of four of its most important spaces for the Semana Profesional del Arte that has been produced by Marta Fermín local gallerist and president of the Association of Art Galleries of Oviedo.
Click here to find out more about the exhibition and the artworks on show.
]]>Retrospect Galleries are pleased to present a new body of work by Mexican artist Monica Fernandez that she has called 'Manifiesto a la Reconstrucción' (Manifesto for Reconstruction). This is a series she started in 2020 during (and in response to) the lockdown and that she describes as follows:
"The works I present here are part of "Manifiesto a la Reconstrucción", a series that I began during the first lockdown when we were isolating at home as my husband and son had both tested positive for Covid-19.
I put together a series of prints that I had made in the past and broke them into pieces to reconstruct a new artwork, one that alludes to the process of creation of a new being as it recovers from the wounds that life inflicts. Through the inspiration of scraps of paper began to paint, a process of reconstruction and transformation, while, at the same time, I had to take care of my family during lockdown.
CONTEXT Art Miami fair is a proven destination and serious marketplace for top collectors to acquire important works from the leading international galleries representing emerging and mid-career cutting-edge works of art. This year's edition will take place exclusively on Artsy.
Featuring the works of many of our favourite artists including: Alberto Sanchez, Gregorio Siem, DAGOR, BNS, Betsy Enzensberger, Allison M. Low, Sonia Alins, Nicole Tijoux, Ciane Xavier, Lantomo, Stefan Yordanov, Paco Raphael, Minas Halaj, Kareem Rizk, Monica Fernandez, Jorg Karg, Gabriel Moreno, Gavin Mitchell, Juan Migel Palacios
]]>Explore 'Changing Moods', one of artist artist Stefan Yordanov's newest wall-based kinetic sculptures where the colour of the unicorn's body fluctuate from pink and purple to blue and green tones.
“In my artistic work I am looking for TRANSFORMATION of life forms…creating hybrids which give a surprising view on our possible future. Human and animal anatomy have an important place in my artistic research. Therefore I am interested in the transformation process of the physical remains of a creature: its skull or skeleton would light up brightly in my sculpture, ‘breading’ new energy… The starting point of my works is a big collection of found natural remains: bones, animal skulls & nature materials…which I combine with sources of energy (light & electricity) in order to give them a new, imaginary ‘life’. Light itself appeals to me as a living material, existing in everyday life objects (bulbs, TV’s, smartphones, etc.), it is a form of energy that you can hold in your hands, a living form.”
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This playful video shows artist Betsy Enzensberger working on one of her large scale sculptures and hinting at the sources of inspiration for this popular Californian artist who's become known all over the world for her highly realistic, larger-than-life sculptures of dripping, frozen treats and other sweet-toothed delights.
]]>This playful video shows artist Betsy Enzensberger working on one of her large scale sculptures and hinting at the sources of inspiration for this popular Californian artist who's become known all over the world for her highly realistic, larger-than-life sculptures of dripping, frozen treats and other sweet-toothed delights.
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DAGOR's works constitute a universe of reductionist abstraction which echoes the visual languages of modernity while also inserting itself in a deeply contemporary geometry. His research is transported to paintings on canvas, wood assemblage and Muralist interventions. For DAGOR Muralism plays a very important role in his practice, he believes fervently in the positive impact of public art on the culture and welfare of people, creating spaces that can offer a sense of community, places for contemplation and spaces to cement identities.
This video shows one of DAGOR's most recent interventions a social project in the biggest neighbourhood of Latin America, Petare where political propaganda was replaced by more than 12 murals that had the goal of creating a public trail.
Experience the fascinating 3D effect of Juan Miguel Palacios' multi panel painting Hyena
Spanish born artist Juan Miguel Palacios was raised in a matriarchal household in Madrid, Spain and he is now based in New York.
]]>Experience the fascinating 3D effect of Juan Miguel Palacios' multi panel painting Hyena
Spanish born artist Juan Miguel Palacios was raised in a matriarchal household in Madrid, Spain and he is now based in New York. He often begins painting on thin panels of vinyl using industrial, oil-based house paint. The vinyl is later layered over a slab of battered drywall. Juan Miguel states, “I use a wall, hard and heavy, as a symbol of a stable structure but constant aggressions have destroyed it.” Juan Miguel uses any means available to break the drywall: anything from a hammer to his own feet is fair game. He polishes the edges of the cavities with a blowtorch and further solidifies the damage with a polyester foam resin. Then, he returns to the vinyl painting and warps the work with paint thinner, even sometimes scratching at the image with his nails.
]]>Discover artist Lantomo at work in her studio as she experiments with wood, a warm and unique material, using tools and aesthetics belonging to the contemporary illustration including pencil, charcoal, acrylics and inks.
Lantomo is the pseudonym of Antonella Montes, an Italian artist based in Barcelona, who works between Spain, Italy and China. Her drawings are a diary of characters caught in the flat surface on which they are created, trying to get free, like metamorphic beings; faces that hide their engraved emotions and memories. She experiments with wood, a warm and unique material, using tools and aesthetics belonging to the contemporary illustration, including pencil, charcoal, acrylics and inks.
]]>Explore how Gavin Mitchell hand embellishes his works using a variety of techniques including gold leaf, hand painting and drawing to add wonderful textures to the works he has captured through photography and other techniques.
The work shown on this video is Miss November which is available to order on this website.
You can see other videos showing Gavin and other gallery artists on our blog.
]]>Check out Paco's profile and discover his latest creations.
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Allison is fascinated by the human condition and she works primarily as an image maker and her practice has recently expanded into the fields of murals, installation art and digital projections.
We love the way she portrays childhood imagery and dreams in her incredibly detailed drawings and look forward to bringing you brand new artworks very soon.
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Sonia Alins
]]>Sonia is based in Lleida, Spain and she is an illustrator and artist focused on the creation of pieces of art (often three-dimensional) with a poetic narrative of a surreal nature with which she addresses her feelings, desires, dreams and nightmares. Sonia makes extensive use of the human figure (mostly feminine) and, at the same time, she explores the expressiveness of elements such as transparency and blur.
Sonia has written about the themes that inspire her, in particular her ongoing 'Dones d'Aigua' (Water Women) series.
“The inspiration to create my Dones d’aigua (Water Women) series came from several elements that had been captivating me for some time. Possibly, the main one was the work of Yves Klein and his blue sponges: I feel a hypnotic attraction to them and the spiritual depth that they suggest to me. Joseph Cornell’s box-shaped collages were also fundamental and really inspiring to me: I feel connected to his dreamlike, surreal, vision of reality, and the poetry in his works: he is the reason why Dones d’aigua are tridimensional collages. Miguel Barceló and his references to the sea were an inspiration to me too. And Jaume Plensa, with his poetic sculptures. I should mention Goya too, whose work I consider a recurring reference in my life.
Apart from that, I love poetry as a medium of expression and I like that my artworks feel like visual poems. There’s the last reference, which comes from the popular culture in Catalonia, where I was born: The Dones d’Aigua are mythological beings that live in waterfalls, lakes, and rivers (a kind of water spirit) and are linked to the life cycle, fertility and (especially related to my work) womanhood.”
Explore Monster Book for Girls in this video which shows the wonderful textures created by Gavin Mitchell whose works are characterised by hand embellishing using a variety of techniques including gold leaf, hand painting and drawing.
The work shown on this video is Monster Book for Girls which is available to order on this website.
You can see other videos showing Gavin and other gallery artists on our blog.
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Explore 'Bambi Twins' a recent sculpture by artist Stefan Yordanov where he uses some of the materials that make his work so distinctive: skulls, LED lights and other materials from daily life.
]]>Explore 'Bambi Twins' a recent sculpture by artist Stefan Yordanov where he uses some of the materials that make his work so distinctive: skulls, LED lights and other materials from daily life.
“The starting point of my works is a big collection of found natural remains: bones, animal skulls & nature materials…which I combine with sources of energy (light & electricity) in order to give them a new, imaginary ‘life’. Light itself appeals to me as a living material, existing in everyday life objects (bulbs, TV’s, smartphones, etc.), it is a form of energy that you can hold in your hands, a living form”
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In this time lapse, you can see artist Lantomo working on 'Tag oi' an original drawing she has created in her studio.
Lantomo is the pseudonym of Antonella Montes, an Italian artist based in Barcelona, who works between Spain, Italy and China. Her drawings are a diary of characters caught in the flat surface on which they are created, trying to get free, like metamorphic beings; faces that hide their engraved emotions and memories. She experiments with wood, a warm and unique material, using tools and aesthetics belonging to the contemporary illustration, including pencil, charcoal, acrylics and inks.
]]>Experience the fascinating 3D effect of Juan Miguel Palacios' multi panel painting Salon.
Spanish born artist Juan Miguel Palacios was raised in a matriarchal household in Madrid, Spain and he is now based in New York.
]]>Experience the fascinating 3D effect of Juan Miguel Palacios' multi panel painting Salon.
Spanish born artist Juan Miguel Palacios was raised in a matriarchal household in Madrid, Spain. From a very young age, Juan Miguel was encouraged by his mother and grandmother to pursue his obvious interest in painting. As a preteen, He found himself in the studio of renowned Spanish painter Amadeo Roca Gisbert (a disciple of Joaquin Sorolla) and studied under him for many years. After receiving his college degree, He founded the Laocoonte Art School of Madrid where he spent time teaching and focused on the development of his art career. In 2013 Juan Miguel moved to New York City from which he now works,
]]>Explore how Gavin Mitchell hand embellishes his works using a variety of techniques including gold leaf which he carefully applies and then polishes to add wonderful textures to the works he has captured through photography and other techniques.
]]>Explore how Gavin Mitchell hand embellishes his works using a variety of techniques including gold leaf which he carefully applies and then polishes to add wonderful textures to the works he has captured through photography and other techniques.
The work shown on this video is Monster Book for Girls which is available to order on this website.
You can see other videos showing Gavin and other gallery artists on our blog.
]]>A tour through Nicole Tijoux Solo Show 'Apnea' at the Centro de Extensión Universidad Católica de Chile, showcasing this artist's range of style and technique in particular for oil as well as acrylic paint on canvas.
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A tour through Nicole Tijoux solo show 'Apnea' at the Centro de Extensión Universidad Católica de Chile, showcasing this artist's range of style and technique in particular for oil as well as acrylic paint on canvas.
Nicole's work focusses on the visual transformations that occur when the human figure interacts with water. Water and background act as a veil for the human body and the vast expanses of space that encapsulate the form are explored in her beautifully composed and rendered paintings. Her work attempts to address the concept of changing states and the immediacy of this visual change, captivating a moment and translating it onto the canvas.
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Meet Street Artist Mariano known by his tag BNS. In this video you will get to know the artist a little better and find our what inspires this creative mind. Follow BNS from the streets that inspire him to the studio where he works on his striking creations.
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Meet Street Artist Mariano known by his tag BNS. In this video you will get to know the artist a little better and find our what inspires this creative mind. Follow BNS from the streets that inspire him to the studio where he works on his striking creations.
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Discover how artist Gabriel Moreno carefully draws to create one of his fascinating works. In this time lapse you see one of his drawings as it is being created in the artist studio.
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Discover how artist Gabriel Moreno carefully draws to create one of his fascinating works. In this time lapse you see one of his drawings as it is being created in the artist studio.
"My creative process begins with simple, easy lines of pencil or pen, or clay modelling, that continuously take shape until they become a female figure. My inspiration and work tools have created a world of urban and contemporary women, living between the roughness of their tattoos and the finesse of their elegant outlines. These lines draw women in black and white, and evolve into colors that cover their skin, conveying sensations that range from seduction to obsession - tattoos that stand out with color amidst white, delicate bodies invoking emptiness."
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Discover how artist Carley Cornelissen created a large outdoor commission, a mural featuring her signature style exploring nature and animal species that may be endangered.
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Discover how artist Carley Cornelissen created a large outdoor commission, a mural featuring her signature style exploring nature and animal species that may be endangered.
“When creating my pieces I seek to raise awareness of the independent lives of endangered animals and birds. I start with research and images of the particular species and then assemble my palette. I am inspired by colour combination and patterns that I see in everyday life, in nature, design and fashion."
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In this time lapse, you can see artist Lantomo working on her drawing 'Fighter' an original drawing she has created in her studio.
Lantomo is the pseudonym of Antonella Montes, an Italian artist based in Barcelona, who works between Spain, Italy and China. Her drawings are a diary of characters caught in the flat surface on which they are created, trying to get free, like metamorphic beings; faces that hide their engraved emotions and memories. She experiments with wood, a warm and unique material, using tools and aesthetics belonging to the contemporary illustration, including pencil, charcoal, acrylics and inks.
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Artist Lantomo has just released a new work titled 'Mizaru' that she created during the lockdown period. Watch this time lapse to see how Lantomo created this beautiful portrait.
]]>Artist Lantomo has just released a new work titled 'Mizaru' that she created during the lockdown period. Watch this time lapse to see how Lantomo created this beautiful portrait.
"Memory, fears and loneliness in this society are the subjects that obsess me. I try to bring to the surface all traces of emotions behind a gaze. To create my portraits I use photography as a starting point and then I clean the image with an extreme minimalism, in the composition, medium and colours, probably due to my architectural formation. I work in grayscale, with touches of red. I'm inspired by the iconography and traditional Asian drawings (especially Chinese and Japanese), trying to avoid the excess of decoration."
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Walk through one of the recent exhibitions of artist Stefan Yordanov's sculptures at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
“In my artistic work I am looking for TRANSFORMATION of life forms…creating hybrids which give a surprising view on our possible future. Human and animal anatomy have an important place in my artistic research. Therefore I am interested in the transformation process of the physical remains of a creature: its skull or skeleton would light up brightly in my sculpture, ‘breading’ new energy…”
]]>Walk through one of the recent exhibitions of artist Stefan Yordanov's sculptures at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
“In my artistic work I am looking for TRANSFORMATION of life forms…creating hybrids which give a surprising view on our possible future. Human and animal anatomy have an important place in my artistic research. Therefore I am interested in the transformation process of the physical remains of a creature: its skull or skeleton would light up brightly in my sculpture, ‘breading’ new energy…”
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In this video, Spanish-born artist Juan Miguel Palacios who is now based in New York speaks to NY1 TV (in Spanish) about his experience of moving from Madrid to NYC and setting up his studio in Bushwick. He shares how he feels a greater sense of freedom in his artistic practice and how for him, painting acts as a refuge.
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In this video, Spanish-born artist Juan Miguel Palacios who is now based in New York speaks to NY1 TV (in Spanish) about his experience of moving from Madrid to NYC and setting up his studio in Bushwick. He shares how he feels a greater sense of freedom in his artistic practice and how for him, painting acts as a refuge.
Spanish born artist Juan Miguel Palacios was raised in a matriarchal household in Madrid, Spain. From a very young age, Juan Miguel was encouraged by his mother and grandmother to pursue his obvious interest in painting. As a preteen, He found himself in the studio of renowned Spanish painter Amadeo Roca Gisbert (a disciple of Joaquin Sorolla) and studied under him for many years. After receiving his college degree, He founded the Laocoonte Art School of Madrid where he spent time teaching and focused on the development of his art career. In 2013 Juan Miguel moved to New York City from which he now works.
]]>One of artist Stefan Yordanov's kinetic sculptures 'Escaping Gravity' was on show at the North Sea Jazz Festival exhibition and you can now see this short film featuring the work in motion.
“The starting point of my works is a big collection of found natural remains: bones, animal skulls & nature materials…which I combine with sources of energy (light & electricity) in order to give them a new, imaginary ‘life’. Light itself appeals to me as a living material, existing in everyday life objects (bulbs, TV’s, smartphones, etc.), it is a form of energy that you can hold in your hands, a living form.”
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Discover how artist Carley Cornelissen finds inspiration in this time lapse showing her sketchbook full of some of her iconic motifs from local flora to birds, foxes, squirrels, hares, panda bears, and flamingoes that often appear on her works.
]]>“When creating my pieces I seek to raise awareness of the independent lives of endangered animals and birds. I start with research and images of the particular species and then assemble my palette. I am inspired by colour combination and patterns that I see in everyday life, in nature, design and fashion."
]]>Right now I am... at my Studio starting my morning with a cup of coffee.
At the moment I am working on... my new painting “ BUTTERFLY #9 “ (shown here in the studio).
Over the course of lockdown, I have challenged myself to… during this lockdown we all receiving information about CoVid-19. Some of them full of negativity. On research we are trying to find out which one is good for us so I challenged myself to not believe and listen to so much information.
My proudest moment during lockdown has been… although the world stopped, I was proud that I could spend my entire day working in my studio. Usually, I spent my weekends going out and relaxing, visiting my friends, spending times at the local bar where there were always great performers with beautiful musicians. Due to pandemic lowdown, in the blink of an eye everything disappeared so I am now much more likely to spend time at the studio than at the regular normal days.
My biggest mistake this year was.... buying tickets for all my family members to travel for a summer vacation.
Recently I’ve been inspired by... the work of American artist Mike Kelley.
Lockdown has been great for my creativity because... when the whole world got canceled, the only happiness for me is the work in the studio.
When I’m stuck for ideas I usually… take a break from the studio and try to spend time in nature.
I have always been fascinated by artists who… have played an important role in the world of international art and its history.
Lockdown inspires me to try a new way of working because… it gave me a new source of inspiration to make a new paintings. Politics is the main topic for a lot of artists in all centuries.
The biggest thing I have learnt in lockdown is... to be prepared for everything and always think positive.
When I was a child I dreamt of… being an astronaut and to fly to the cosmos. But I decided to be an artist and still keeping the fight in my soul.
My first job was… it may sound weird but I never had a job in my life....
My first big love was…when I was a little kid, every day I was always trying to escape to my father's studio and spend more and more time there, because I fell in love with the smell of oil paints and turpentine. I believe that’s why I got addicted to art.
The first piece of art I ever bought was… I never had a chance to collect art in my life, but I do collect old books and vintage textiles. Also I am very lucky that a couple of years ago I was in a flea market and someone approached me with a Bernard Buffet’s original hand signed lithograph, so unconsciously I became collector.
My favorite record cover of all time is…. “ The Velvet Underground ” cover of the record published in 1967.
The best film I have seen in lockdown is… I saw only one movie and it was a documentary “ Dirty Money “.
If I could see any musician (past or present) performing live, it would be… Jimi Hendrix live in Woodstock.
In the film of my life I would like to be played by… Billy Zane, because I know him and he has great appreciation for my art and is a big lover of my art. I think no one will be played my character better than him.
My Avatar would be… the Floral Mind series.
My guilty pleasure over lockdown has been… thinking too much about the past and of the good old days when we were allowed to travel and go to different places....
Over lockdown I’ve found myself cooking…. I always love cooking and experimenting with different dishes. I love cooking New York style steak but during lockdown I made pizza with my special pizza dough.
My lockdown routine includes… I usually wakes up at 8 am, making some great Armenian style coffee, tasting some bagels , and 9 am I ‘m on my way to my studio. I’m getting there 9:15 am and working until sunset. I come back home in the evening and spending time with my beautiful family.
The last thing I do before I go to bed each night is… think about an unfinished painting, trying to memorise in my head what I need to do tomorrow .
The last thing I dreamt in lockdown was…. traveling. Because this month I was supposed to be in my homeland but that didn’t happened.
I am currently reading… the diaries of Andrei Tarkovsky.
If I could be a mythical creature I would be…. a minotaur. I think my name comes from Greek mythology.
If I was offered a billion dollars on the condition I had to give it all away, I would… I would deposit all to my cat's account.
Post-lockdown, the first place I plan to travel to is…. Lake Tahoe is going to be the first place I will travel to post-lockdown.
If air travel was no longer possible I would… travel like in old times by ship.
If I were a superhero I would be… hahaha! I don't believe in superheroes but I believe in heroes from our history. I believe in real persons, humans who are saving lives and changing the history like... the medical professionals.
And my costume would be… honestly, at that point it would be more important what I do than how I would dress up... it is too materialistic for me; but for now the best costume will be face mask and gloves.
If my art could work for a worthy cause, I would dedicate it to… the doctors that are working and looking after us.
I imagine the post-lockdown future to be… I think this pandemic is going to be around for some time. I think the world is not going to be the same anymore.
If I could live in any one period of time, I would choose… I definitely would choose to live in this modern days. I think we are living in a very important time of evaluation in humanity. The humans being is more free and yet more controlled.
The most valuable lesson I have learned through lockdown is… to appreciate the every day, your relatives, your close friends... without them we are nobody.
The craziest thing I have done this year was… Burning one of my paintings.
If I were to get a tattoo to remember my lockdown experience, it would be… a symbol of the coronavirus.
Now is the time for artists to go digital because…. we are in the position to do it right now because of CoVid 19 and lots of people are in lockdown and that's why we need to change to digital to catch up to all these changes and to promote and to put art on digital platforms to be available for everybody.
I do think artists have a responsibility to push the boundaries and… dive deep into his soul and research himself and finds his own mentality and unique style.
I do believe artists are best placed to understand the future before everyone else because… we are honest with ourselves and are not afraid to express our thoughts and beliefs.
They say fact is stranger than fiction because… this is a very controversial issue because there will be no facts without fiction and everything starts from fiction. But on the other hand with the fact you need to adapt, but the fiction is what you make up.
If I wasn’t so busy making art I would like to…. still make art because I cannot do anything else. I tried to do some jobs but very soon I got bored.
In the next year I hope to achieve… to make larger scale size paintings.
]]>In this video artist Betsy Enzensberger shows us how 'the magic happens' as she mixes her resin and various materials to create her delicious sculptures. Go behind the scenes with Betsy to discover the work involved in creating those irresistible lollipops and popsicles that the artist has become known for.
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In this video artist Betsy Enzensberger shows us how 'the magic happens' as she mixes her resin and various materials to create her delicious sculptures.
Resin looks like candy. It looks delicious and sweet. The shiny exterior has a wet, melting quality. Her 'Melting' series relies on the childlike lure of sweet, sticky lollipops and popsicles to artificially instil intense desire. The colorful confections practically beg to be rescued and consumed. Bringing the kitsch, pop art theme to the 3D realm, her sculptures have a tangible, irresistible quality that delight the onlooker.
This video takes you behind the scenes to show you the work involved in creating these unique sculptures.