Kendra Haste is a contemporary sculptor who uses galvanized wire as a medium for her art. She uses this material to create lifelike sculptures of animals and through her techniques, which include layring and fraying the wire and sometimes even painting it, Haste manages to mimic their anatomical appearence.
She ecxellently works the wire in such a way that even subtle muscle definition is easily noticeable by the observer. She is perfectly able to higlight solid forms at the same as she crafts her material in such a way that it looks like a bushy lion’s mane. “No other material I have ever used has been able to suggest the sense of movement and life, of contour and volume, the contrasts of weight and lightness, of solidity and transparency – values that I find in my natural subjects” she mentions in one of her statements explaining why galvanized wire is the perfect material for her.
Haste has always been fascinated by animals and all her sculptures are representations of individual animals that she has encountered at some point in her life and most of the times she’s been lucky enough to study them in their natural habitat. She finds their energy and their spirit an inspiration. “What interests me most about studying animals is identifying the spirit and character of the individual creatures. I try to create a sense of the living, breathing subject in a static 3-D form, attempting to convey the emotional essence without indulging in the sentimental or anthropomorphic”.
In 2010, the Historic Royal Palaces has commissioned Kendra Haste to create 13 sculptures to be placed at the Tower of London and stay on view until 2021.
more about
via thisiscolossal and Kendra Haste’s official website
