Jennifer Maestre

Jennifer Maestre was originally inspired by the form of sea urchins. She thought that their spines were so beautiful yet so dangerous and that it created allure to touch them despite possibly painful consequences. She chooses to work with pencils and nails because of the two different sides and textures they provide, one sharp and the other smooth. It mirrors the tension of the desire to touch sea urchins – longing and repulsion.  She considers paradox and surprise to be essential in her choice of medium. To make the pencil sculptures Maestre takes hundreds of pencils, cuts them into one inch sections, then drills holes in them and sews them together like beads. She’s inspired by nature, mythology, and several other artists, but her inspiration comes from many other things too. Sometimes a mistake will even shape the direction of a piece.

Aurora, Colored Pencils, 7X17X17in, date not listed

My favorite of her pieces is Aurora, because it reminds me of the sea anemones that I find in the tide pools where my parents live. I completely understand this desire to touch but with the pang of fear that it might hurt. The way it unfurls is inviting and makes you want to look deeper into the work and examine the blue center. The complimentary colors are gorgeous together. The movement she creates with the spines makes it appear as though they are flowing and because there are so many of them they even look fuzzy from a distance. Her pieces are dynamic, creative, free flowing, and surprising.  

Seethe, Colored Pencils, 9X13X14in, date not listed

Persephone, Nails and Zippers, 5.5X16X11, date not listed