Shirley Ruuska Brown

Shirley Ruuska Brown

A switch from ceramic to mixed media sculpture was made about fifteen years ago when I found myself without a kiln for a couple of years. Experimentation with mixed media followed and grew into a unique technique using layers of papier-mache and a plaster/papier-mache mixture built up over an armature. The final layers of papier-mache are twisted into a string-like thinness and clay and found materials incorporated into the piece. Color and texture have become an important part of the final structure with some pieces becoming close to a sculpture and painting in one. I describe the work as a juxtaposition of imagination and reality with a touch of whimsy thrown in.