elissa farrow-savos: polymer clay and found objects

When I was in Washington DC last week talking to Novie Trump she mentioned her friend -  an artist working in polymer clay – and the name was new to me.  Upon my return home, I took a peek at her website.  The peek lasted longer than I like to say…

Circle of Life, polymer clay, oils, found object

This Woman’s Work, polymer clay, oils, found objects 30″ x 16″ x 10″

For a few years I’ve been collecting found objects, vintage treasures of all sorts, with the hope that one day I will get back to art making and incorporate them into my work. When I saw what Elissa Farrow-Savos was doing with polymer and found objects I gasped. Her soulful female figures, matched with perfectly imperfect vintage finds articulate my thoughts better than I know how to do. Leave some time for this one – the portfolio is full. Very full (more than 100 images). Rich. Soulful. Thought-Provoking.

Fit The Mold , polymer clay, oils, found objects 40″ x 8 x 5

My Soulmate Awaits polymer clay, oils, found objects

“All of my sculptures are of women or girls, formed with polymer clay, painted with oils, and integrated with various found objects. The objects frequently provide support for the pieces, both structurally and metaphorically, as the objects all had a previous function related to the history of women and their roles as the foundation of society and domestic life. These aged objects lend the weight of their past lives to each sculpture while reinforcing the timelessness of each and every story presented. The objects come from various countries, cultures, and periods in time which, although diverse, are united in often seeing male as more worthy than female.” Elissa Farrow-Savos

A Suitable Girl

All My Eggs In One Basket, polymer clay, oils, found object 11″ x 9 x 9

A Woman’s Point of View, polymer clay, oils, found objects

The Sisterhood, polymer clay, oils, found objects 25″ x 16 x 16

This Woman’s Work, polymer clay, oils, found objects 30″ x 16″ x 10″

“My work is about the nature of the “female condition,” at times specifically pointing to gender as the basis of social, political, and emotional injustices women as a whole have experienced, at other times drawing heavily on my own personal experiences and observations as a woman who has lived with illness, loss, marriage and motherhood. In my sculptures I explore these themes within western, eastern, Asian, and African cultures. Some of my pieces are a response to a specific newspaper or magazine article that has reported on some aspect of the treatment of women that touched a nerve for me. I sculpt each piece to ensure that viewers bear witness to these stories and emotions, literally giving them a face. My work serves as my personal commentary, but although my sculptures sometimes reveal my opinion, my intentions are not to make the viewer think as I do, but simply to make them think.” Elissa Farrow-Savos

More here