SANDY YOUNG

ART  

SERIES & SETS
Presenting Artwork by Sandy Young from these 3 Series:
PALIMPSEST | BEING | CHAPTERS

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PALIMPSEST Series
The Palimpsest body of work is mixed media image-based art with one or more kiln-formed glass overlays.

PALIMPSEST
(the second “p” is silent)

Definition:

 (1) Writing material (as a parchment or tablet) used one or more times after earlier writing has been erased.

(2) Something having usually diverse layers or aspects apparent beneath the surface. Something that has many obvious stages or levels of meaning, development or history.

The word “palimpsest” comes from Latin palimpsēstus from Ancient Greek παλίμψηστος (palímpsestos, “scratched or scraped again”), literally meaning “scraped clean and used again”.


I find resonance with the second definition of “palimpsest” –where I am creating “…something that has many layers or aspects beneath the surface… many obvious stages or levels of meaning…” To that, I add dimensionality.

I weave imagery into multiple planes in order to create a feeling of dimensionality. This aspect of my work also serves as a metaphor for the multiple dimensions of life experience. Markings and handwriting symbolically represent tracings of internal experience. Distressed and fragmented layers allude to the passage of time. As with memory, one moment is erased, while the next is painted, leaving only impressions of the first.

I am often inspired by turn-of-the-century photographs, handwritten documents and time-worn objects. I see these as evidence of someone or something gone before, and use them to convey a timelessness. Mixing old with new, combining disparate images and elements, I seek to create harmony and express a connectivity among all.
BEING Series
"Continuum" art by Sandy young
BEING

Mixed media work that explores the idea of “Being” and “Being Human”.

This series of work, ranging from abstract to conceptual, whimsical to zen, all feature one or more antique porcelain figures as representative of the human form.

My work is often psychological so I was inspired to use these imperfect forms (broken antique porcelain figures) to symbolically represent the imperfect human being. I am exploring ideas of connection, humanity and spirituality, including aspirations, foibles and imperfections. The artworks with kiln-formed glass overlay invite the viewer to peer into an inner dimension to find traces and symbols of the inner world, a concept that forms the central idea behind my work.

Now broken and stained, the porcelain figures used in these artworks were once popular toys and charms. These “frozen Charlottes”, as they were called, were common in the 1860’s as play toys and bath toys, and were often baked into desserts as a surprise gift. Factories would bury the defective units, and only later would the buried units be discovered. The porcelain figures used here were excavated from the grounds of a factory in Limbach, Germany, and date to the early 1860’s. They had lay buried for over a century.
CHAPTERS Series
Altered Book Art by Sandy Young
CHAPTERS

Fragments of writing, time-worn pages and translucent glass overlays combine to form dimensional book-like artworks where pages mark the passage of time. Imagining our life as a series of chapters, some old, some new, overlapping and interacting, this series attempts to capture that experience.

This series comes at a time when there is much change in the world. Whether individually or collectively, old structures and ideas make way for new ideas. Fragments of the past juxtapose with current experiences. Memories and new ideas coexist.

The form of these art pieces and the combination of materials used reflect the dynamic nature of change, transformation and the passage of time.
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Chapters

"Chapters" series of artworks explore change, transformation and the passage of time through book-like constructions of glass, paper and porcelain.
Postcard Memories: Art by Sandy Young

Postcard Memories Series

Artwork reflecting the concepts of memory, time passage and story. Handwriting, stamps and antique photos feature in these mixed media art pieces.

Pages of Mystery (Set)

Children feature in this set of artworks where concepts of "time", "the universe" and "story" are explored.

For the Children (set)

Artwork inspired by antique photos and tin-types of children. These "portraits" are layered with elements that represent traces of internal experience.
Hummingbird in Flight by Sandy Young

Nature’s Heart

Nature inspired artwork. Imagery on layered glass creates a three-dimensional effect.

After the Show Series

Artwork inspired by show posters from the late 1800's and early 1900's, along with dance and performance themed art.
Halbrite Drug Store Art by Sandy Young

Out West (set)

Artwork with a "Westen" theme. Weathered paint and wagon wheels feature in this set.

Being Set 1

Art from the Being Series. These pieces explore the concept of "Being". Stained and broken porcelain "frozen Charlotte" figures from the 1860's that lay buried for over a century are altered and used to represent the imperfect human being.

Being Set 2

Art from the Being Series. These mixed-media artworks with glass overlay explore the concept of "Being". Stained and broken porcelain figures that lay buried for over a century are altered and used to represent the imperfect human being.

Being Set 3

Art from the Being Series. These pieces explore the concept of "Being". Porcelain "frozen Charlotte" figures from the 1860's are used to represent the imperfect human being. This section includes assemblage and sculptural pieces.

Being Set 4

Art from the Being Series. These pieces explore the concept of "Being". Porcelain "frozen Charlotte" figures from the 1860's are used to represent the imperfect human being. This section includes installations.