Calligraphic Works in Resin - Allen Schill

fine art, sculpture, red maple seeds, resin, transparent, calligraphic, uniform distribution

Semi d’Acero Rosso (Japanese Red Maple Seeds), Nov-Dec. 2023. 19.1 x 13.8 x 0.8 cm.. Red maple seeds, resin. (id#1580)

I collected these seeds in part to try to germinate them - I'm still waiting - and in part to use them in these small works. Here they are, arranged in an even distribution in a slab of clear resin.

Flight of the Red Angels (Japanese Red Maple Seeds, backlit), Nov-Dec. 2023. 18.4 x 13.1 x 1.0 cm.. Red maple seeds, resin. (id#1581)

Here they are again, but all arranged in an upward-facing orientation to suggest wings. An art-historical source is The Fall of the Rebel Angels. For me, the most magnificent version of this painting is that of Pieter Brueghel the Elder of 1562. But mine are not fallen angels!

Flight of the Red Angels (Japanese Red Maple Seeds, on white background ), Nov-Dec. 2023. 18.4 x 13.1 x 1.0 cm.. Red maple seeds, resin. (id#1581)

The same as the previous, but photographed against a background of white paper.

fine art, sculpture, clothespins, resin, transparent, calligraphic, uniform distribution

Laundry Day for Paul Klee, (Colored Plastic Clothespins), Aug.-Oct. 2024. 17.9 x 23.5 x 0.8 cm.. Broken plastic clothespins, resin. (id#1677)

In my early days as an artist, Klee was one that I imitated in a few pastel drawings, with various colored shapes arranged in a certain way. I embedded broken plastic clothespins, carefully arranged, in clear resin.

fine art, sculpture, rubber bands, resin, transparent, calligraphic, uniform distribution

Aria (Symphony/Nocturne) - Blue and Green Rubber Bands (on black background), Jan-Feb. 2024. 16.6 x 8.4 x 0.6 cm.. Rubber bands, resin, colorant. (id#1588)

Here I used old, broken rubber bands of various colors, and arranged them in a sort of dance. It seemed to suggest music. They are photographed against a black background.

Aria (Symphony/Nocturne) - Blue and Green Rubber Bands in Medium Gray (backlit), Jan-Feb. 2024. 16.6 x 8.4 x 0.6 cm.. Rubber bands, resin, colorant. (id#1588)

The same piece as before, but photographed with backlighting.

Arrangement of Rubber Bands (reddish, brownish), April 2024. 17.0 x 8.7 x 0.8 cm.. Rubber bands, resin, colorant. (id#1636)

Here again are old rubber bands of various colors, and arranged them in rhythmic way, suggestive of music. They are photographed against a black background.

fine art, sculpture, copper strips, resin, transparent, calligraphic, uniform distribution

Disc with Copper Strips in Orange Resin, Jan. 2024. 7.1 diam. x 0.8 cm.. Copper strips, resin, colorant. (id#1597)

These are the small strips of copper used to seal bags of onions and garlic. I have some ideas for the plastic mesh of the bags themselves. By now, if not before, one can see that I somehow try instinctively to find possibilities for useless materials.

fine art, sculpture, plastic strips, resin, transparent, calligraphic, uniform distribution

Untitled (Pezzi Tergicristallo in Aquamarine, long), Jan.Feb. 2024. 8.8 x 16.9 x 1.0 cm.. Plastic, resin, aquamarine colorant. (id#1584)

The pieces of pale green plastic here are cut from the protective sleeves that replacement windshield wipers are packaged in. They were embedded in resin in a rectangular cardboard box that served as a mold.

Untitled (Pezzi di Tergicristallo in Aquamarine, short), Dec. 2024-April 2024 (backlit). 8.8 x 11.7 x 0.8 cm.. Plastic, resin, pale aquamarine colorant. (id#1583)

The pieces of pale green plastic here are cut from the protective sleeves that replacement windshield wipers are packaged in. They were embedded in resin in a rectangular cardboard box that served as a mold. Here the piece is backlit.

Untitled (Pezzi di Tergicristallo in Aquamarine, short), Dec. 2024-April 2024 (with black background). 8.8 x 11.7 x 0.8 cm.. Plastic, resin, pale aquamarine colorant. (id#1583)

The pieces of pale green plastic here are cut from the protective sleeves that replacement windshield wipers are packaged in. They were embedded in resin in a rectangular cardboard box that served as a mold. Here the piece is photographed with black paper underneath.

fine art, sculpture, hamamelis petals, resin, transparent, calligraphic, uniform distribution

Hamamelis Petals on Very Dark Gray, Jan. Feb. 2024. 17.8 x 23.5 x 0.9 cm.. Hamamelis petals, resin colorant. (id#1604)

The hamamelis is a small tree or large shrub that produces magnificent flowers in late winter or early spring - yellow, orange, red - they look like fire. They are used to produce witch hazel, a skin lotion. Here they stand out against a dark background.

Calligraphic Works in Resin

Calligraphy means beautiful writing. I have always admired the calligraphy of many linguistic cultures - Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Persian, Arabic, Hebrew, and the European Middle Ages. These of course originated before the advent of mechanized forms of printing, which offer great advantages but which rob us of the sheer pleasure of reading a text. Even now, word programs offer a vast variety of typefaces, and some of us have our favorites.

These pieces obviously have no letters, characters, or words, but their materials are arranged in a harmonious manner that I hope gives some of the satisfaction of very old or ancient manuscripts. Their disposition could be likened to a dance, or to music, another non-verbal expression.