Erica Stankwytch Bailey
Arden, NC | Exhibiting Since 2005
My work involves a variety of technical applications that allow me to create conceptual and aesthetic works. I inspect the world in great detail and have always collected shells, seed pods, stones and interesting organic elements. My studio often resembles a laboratory with trays of collected specimens lined in rows. Whether by fear and fascination, disgust or admiration I am constantly moved by life. From the miniscule piece of reef collected on the shore to the enormous sadness evoked by the many inequalities that exist I am constantly inspired. Lamination, chasing, metal weaving, fabrication, enameling, forging, raising, forming and cast metal parts are often combined in my work in an effort to create pieces that are tactile and invoke in the wearer a sense of personal attachment. Using these techniques allows me to take small pieces of history/time and translate them into visual moments for the viewer and myself.