Colophony artwork is a type of art that uses colophony, a natural resin obtained from pine trees, as the main material. Colophony is a clear, brittle solid soluble in alcohol and ether. It is used in various applications, including varnishes, paints, and adhesives.

In colophony artwork, the resin is melted and then poured or applied to a surface. It can be used to create a variety of effects, such as smooth, matte, or glossy finishes. Colophony can also be used to create raised or textured surfaces.

Types of Colophony Artworks

Colophony artwork is a relatively new art form, but it has been gaining popularity in recent years. It is a versatile medium that can be used to create a variety of different artworks. Some of the most common types of colophony artwork include:

• Relief sculptures: These sculptures are created by pouring molten colophony into a mold and then carving away the excess. The resulting sculptures can be smooth or textured, and they can be used to create a variety of shapes and forms.

Figure 1. The Notre-Dame casts at the V&A: The Assumption of the Virgin, REPRO.1890-80 (A), The Coronation of the Virgin, REPRO.1890-81 (B), The death of the Virgin, REPRO.A.1916-3152 (C), and The Entombment of the Virgin, REPRO.A.1916-3153 (D).

• Intaglio prints: These prints are created by carving a design into a block of colophony and then pressing paper onto the block. The paper picks up the ink from the carved lines, creating an image. Intaglio prints can be used to create detailed and intricate designs.

What is Intaglio Printing?

• Paintings: These paintings are created by applying colophony to a canvas or other surface and then using brushes or other tools to create a design. The colophony can be used to create a variety of textures and effects, and it can be combined with other materials, such as pigments or powders.

Varnishes with Biocidal Activity: A New Approach to Protecting Artworks

• Mixed media artworks: These artworks combine colophony with other materials, such as wood, metal, or glass. The different materials can be used to create a variety of textures and effects, and they can be combined to create unique and visually striking artworks.

Chain, 2011

Colophony artwork is a unique and creative way to express oneself. It is a relatively easy medium to learn, but it can be challenging to master. If you are interested in trying colophony artwork, there are many resources available online and in art stores.

These are just a few of the many different types of colophony artwork that can be created. The possibilities are endless, and artists are constantly experimenting with new techniques and materials.

Advantages of Colophony Artworks

• It is a relatively inexpensive medium. Colophony is a relatively inexpensive material, so it is a good option for artists on a budget.
• It is easy to work with. Colophony is a soft and pliable material, so it is easy to shape and mold. It can also be melted and poured, which makes it a versatile medium for creating a variety of artworks.
• It is durable. Colophony is a durable material that can withstand wear and tear. This makes it a good choice for artworks that will be displayed in public or in high-traffic areas.
• It is versatile. Colophony can be used to create a variety of different effects, from smooth and glossy to rough and textured. This makes it a versatile medium that can be used to create a wide range of artworks.
• It is environmentally friendly. Colophony is a natural material that is derived from pine trees. This makes it a more environmentally friendly option than some other art materials, such as plastics or acrylics.

Overall, colophony artwork is a versatile and affordable medium that can be used to create a variety of different artworks. It is also a durable and environmentally friendly material, which makes it a good choice for artists who are looking for a sustainable option.

Tips for Working with Colophony:

• Work in a well-ventilated area, as colophony can emit fumes.
• Use gloves and eye protection to protect yourself from the resin.
• Be careful not to overheat the colophony, as it can catch fire.
• Experiment with different techniques to see what kind of effects you can create.
• Have fun! Colophony is a fun and versatile medium that can be used to create unique and beautiful artworks.

Differences Between Colophony and Resin

Colophony and resin are both natural resins obtained from pine trees. However, there are some key differences between the two materials:

• Chemical composition: Colophony is a type of rosin, while resin is a mixture of rosin and other compounds. This difference in chemical composition gives resin a wider range of properties than colophony.
• Appearance: Colophony is a clear, brittle solid, while resin can be clear, opaque, or translucent. The color of resin can also vary depending on the type of pine tree it is derived from.
• Working properties: Colophony is a soft and pliable material, while resin is more demanding and more challenging to work with. Colophony can be melted and poured, while resin must be cured before it can be used.
• Applications: Colophony is used in a variety of applications, including varnishes, paints, and adhesives. Resin is also used in a variety of applications, but it is more commonly used in casting and jewelry making.

In terms of artwork, colophony is typically used to create relief sculptures, intaglio prints, and paintings. Resin is more commonly used to make castings, jewelry, and other three-dimensional objects. However, both materials can be used to create a variety of different artworks.

SOA Arts – Colophony Artworks for Hotels, Corporates, and More

What does SOA Arts mean? Our company is named save on art(SOA ARTS), because we hope that everyone who likes art can own our works of art at a good price. We want to extend beautiful things to different corners as far as possible.

At the same time, save on art also call on people not to throw away the existing artworks easily. You can use these artworks in another scene, or do some DIY to make ; the artworks glow with new luster and energy.

At SOA Arts, we know how hard it can be to find the large resin artwork you’re looking for. Fortunately, we have over 10 years of experience in making our clients’ interior design dreams a reality.

As a leading Chinese factory, we have everything we need to source, curate, commission, and produce exactly what you’re looking for. Get in touch and we’ll be happy to get the ball rolling.

Start your art project commissions today. 

Surge of the Sea © Cildo Meireles

Cildo Meireles, born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1948, spent most of his childhood in Brasília, the modernist capital designed by architects Oscar Niemeyer and Lúcio Costa. In 1960, he witnessed the birth of the grand "New Brasília," which also marked a turning point in Brazilian history. Meireles had a lifelong interest in painting, so he joined the art courses offered by the Federal Cultural Foundation (the Fundação Cultural do Distrito Federal) in Brasília.

Meireles was highly creative and produced mature works at 19, which led to his first solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in Salvador, Bahia. Three years later, Meireles returned to Rio de Janeiro and was invited to participate in the "Information" exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. This was his first major international exhibition, marking a turning point in his artistic career. He has since participated in two Venice Biennales (1976, 2003), three São Paulo Biennials (1981, 1989, 1998), and one Documenta exhibition (1992).

Cildo Meireles © Wikipedia

Meireles was one of Brazil's most acclaimed artists for most of his career. He won widespread recognition from his peers, critics, and collectors. The Brazilian military dictatorship's strict censorship regime of the 1970s constantly threatened artists' work, which became a recurring theme in Meireles's work.

Cildo Meireles in front of the Monument to the Unknown Soldier, Rio de Janeiro 1974 ， Photo: Luiz Alphonsus

From his early expressionist paintings to his later architectural images to his installation works that explore materiality, to his conceptual art projects that address culture, all of his work is characterized by a multisensory experience and a rational mind. Meireles's deft navigation between the political and the poetic has also earned him worldwide attention: in 1999, the Museum of Modern Art's new building in New York City hosted a retrospective of his work.

Surge of the Sea © Cildo Meireles

In 2008, Meireles's first major retrospective in Europe opened at Tate Modern in London. The exhibition fully demonstrated the strength of his work and the power of his creativity, so much so that people still remember his work today. While his works are often huge in scale, their impact is not limited to this. Even small pieces like "Southern Cross" are memorable. The real difference is not in scale but in detail, such as his insertions of small interventions into the monetary or industrial system (such as "Ideological Interventions: The Coca-Cola Plan and Banknotes").

Zero Real, 2013. Billetes, impresión offset sobre papel. © Cildo Meireles. Foto: Pat Kilgore

Coca-Cola Project 1970  © Cildo Meireles

A few weeks after the opening of the London exhibition, Meireles returned to Rio. In his cluttered studio, he told "Studio International" many stories about the various works he had been creating for over 40 years. The materiality, memory, and experience that are central to his entire aesthetic are evident in these stories, as is Meireles's self-perception as a creator of context for the dialogue between maker and viewer.

Cildo Meireles Fontes (detail) 1992/2008  Photo: Tate Photography © Courtesy the artist

Meireles's work is not created in a systematic way. Each project has its own unique genesis, and the source of inspiration is often unexpected. Some come from early memories, while others come from ordinary and everyday experiences, some of which he himself cannot remember clearly.

For example, "Babel" (2001) is inspired by children's experience in a dark bedroom. Meireles said that when he was two years old, he would see a red light from the bed at night and hear a sound like a radio. Sometimes, sunlight shining on the spider web inside a rubber tube would also become the origin of one of his works.

Babel 2001 © Cildo Meireles

Inspiration is born when self-memory and the question of holding coincide at a certain moment. For example, when Meireles was working on the first part of "Red Shift", he was also making "Virtual Space: Corners" drawings, and he was very excited about these drawings. Suddenly, two ideas came alive. The first idea was related to the "Virtual Space" drawings, in which the changes in the scene were caused by non-existent virtual lines. Meireles wanted to establish a certain order in his artistic production then, and tried to isolate the issues he was interested in.

It was not until much later that he realized that these two projects were essentially two sides of the same thing. Therefore, Meireles stopped painting expressionist paintings for the sake of simply drawing blueprints. Imagine a plane that spans multiple rooms, although it is a virtual plane, it can be tracked by moving and repositioning on the plane. It will cut through some furniture, so that when people observe the room, it is still the same room, but it is penetrated by this invisible "super being". The second idea is that someone for some unknown reason has accumulated things of all shades of red (from pink to magenta) in a room.

Red Shift © Cildo Meireles

The use of red was not for any reason like a "political metaphor." Meireles's idea was to have someone place themselves in a space surrounded by objects of the same color. He later wrote about two other rooms in 1978: one was a stream flowing downwards, and the other was a blue bottle, the water from which created a blue pool. These three rooms were connected by a false logic. The red room could hear the sound of the water from the bottle, and the blue bottle explained the origin of the red room. When you come across the red stream from the darkness, at this moment, I decided to make everything red, for many reasons, but the most important one is that it is a color with great symbolic, expansive, and physical presence.

When the work was reassembled at the São Paulo Biennial in 1998, Paulo Herkenhoff offered a highly political interpretation.

This is understandable, as it is very easy to associate the work with politics when people read the title and learn about Meireles's artistic background. When Meireles first saw his interpretation, he called him and said he disagreed with it but could understand it. When Meireles completed the installation of "Red Shift," he told Herkenhoff that his work was finished, and joked, "I will confirm your interpretation." Then, he opened the tea cabinet, where he placed the only thing that was not red: a black-and-white Che Guevara button.

Surge of the Sea © Cildo Meireles

Many people view the work from a political or ideological perspective, but for Meireles, it could have just as easily been blue or yellow.

Herkenhoff's interpretation has largely become a marker of Meireles's work. Curators have given the work a special context in exhibitions, such as the political implications of Meireles's work that you can read in the guide information of the Tate exhibition. Over time, the artist himself will also change the original concept of the work. Suddenly, you can find something you've never thought of before in the work, a way to approach yourself and see yourself with your soul. Some works, such as "Insertions into Ideological Circuits," are undoubtedly political.

"Insertions into Ideological Circuits" is not just about Coca-Cola bottles with other information printed on them. It gains more meaning through its circulation in the market, but the work may also be distorted in this process. "Co-authorship anxiety" will always arise, but the presentation of the work must be democratic. "Insertion" is largely realized through oral transmission. Usually, Meireles shows instructions that can be conveyed in any language. He has always believed that these basic instructions are sufficient, but the facts are not always so. The best way to explain this work may be to translate the contents of the insertion into every language. This project began with a discussion with a friend in a restaurant. He mentioned that no one would notice a grain of olive in a Coke bottle. Inspired by this, Meireles wrote down the project proposal as soon as he got home. And looking at the project proposal itself, no one would think that there is any connection between the two things.

Entrevendo, 1970/1994. Calefactor, madera, hielo © Cildo Meireles. Foto: Filipe Braga

When we look back at a certain stage of Brazilian art, we see that it seems like everyone was challenging the dictatorship. Artists seemed to have a political consciousness about what they were doing. Meireles felt that opposing the regime was a common goal, but each person clearly had their own focus. There was a comradely friendship between artists, so they had no defenses against each other. They would often discuss and show their work together.

However, Meireles was more introverted and couldn't work when others were around, so this exploration was reduced. He needed a solitary environment to create. In addition, Meireles would often lie in a hammock to write and doodle, making anyone else feel awkward. Meireles's creations could be as simple as a word, a sentence, or a scribble. After many years, he himself wouldn't remember the meaning of his notes. Some projects even originated from notes he wrote 35 years ago.

Amerikkka, 1991/2013. Marcos metálicos, madera, 20.000 huevos de madera pintados, 70.000 balas. © Cildo Meireles. Foto: Galerie Lelong

Volátil, 1980/1994. Vela, ceniza y olor a gas natural. © Cildo Meireles. Foto: Sesc

Pling Pling  © Cildo Meireles

References：

1.https://www.studiointernational.com/index.php/materiality-and-memory-an-interview-with-cildo-meireles

2.https://universes.art/es/specials/sesc-sp/cildo-meireles

3.https://artmap.com/luisastrina/exhibition/cildo-meireles-2014

4.https://www.galerialuisastrina.com.br/en/exhibitions/pling-pling/photos/

5.https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/cildo-meireles-6633/who-is-cildo-meireles

6.https://revistacodigo.com/cildo-meireles-un-arte-politico/

 

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Ceramics Exhibitions in July

* Exhibitions are organized by closing time

Clay Nirvana

Gao Zhenyu's Ceramic Exhibition

Exhibition Duration: July 28 - August 25, 2023

Location: Sothebys, Shanghai

On July 28, 2023, Gao Zhenyu's ceramic exhibition "Clay Nirvana" has been officially opened at the Sothebys, which presents nearly 70 ceramic works created by the contemporary ceramist since 1997, including his career representative "Mud Huan" series, and will be on display until August 25.

Hello Ceramics

Du Qinfen Solo Exhibition

Exhibition Duration: August 6 to September 6, 2023

Location: Dongguan City, Guangdong Province

Rui Art Space

The exhibition is divided into three series to present the artist's works, namely shell series, ware series, and small shells and Xiao objects. Du Qinfen's works are rich in her reflections on the philosophy of life, but this exhibition focuses on bringing freshness and different artistic experiences to the audience.

Colorful Life in Jingdezhen

KIM HYUM JU Exhibition

Exhibition period: July 27 - October 27, 2023

Location: Lai Chang, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province

A complete series of graphic works by the artist is on display. Through a variety of colors and points, lines and surfaces overlay, repetition, combination, focus on visual elements and design. The surface is segmented within the given frame, superimposed layer by layer, and the points, lines and surfaces of different colors are repeated to form a geometric pattern. Each color has a different firing temperature. At different firing temperatures, different surface textures will show overlapping marks. Through more than 4 times of firing, the layers of different colors eventually become a pattern.

Clay in Motion: Women Artists in Contemporary Japanese Ceramics

Exhibition Duration: July 24 - August 18, 2023

Location: New York, USA

Dao Ichi Arts

The exhibition features the work of several prominent contemporary Japanese female potters, from emerging artists to the highly influential avant-garde generation of postwar Japanese artists. The works on display in this exhibition are full of intelligence, creativity and sensitivity to form. The title of the exhibition "Clay in Motion" also refers to the continuous development of Japan's contemporary creative ceramic industry, which has pushed ceramics to new heights as a medium.

Clay Bash 2023

A Triennal Ceramics Juried Exhibition

Exhibition Duration: May 21 - September 3, 2023

Location: Clinton, USA

Hunterdon Art Museum

The exhibition is the first in a planned triennial series at the (Hunterdon Art Museum, featuring works by 42 artists selected by judges Jennifer Martin, executive director of The Clay Studio in Philadelphia.

Created by artists from across the United States, these works explore the innovation and diversity of contemporary pottery.

Wayfinding

Exhibition Duration: May 28 - September 10, 2023

Location: Los Angeles, USA

Craft Contemporary

The Craft Contemporary's third ceramic biennale, Pathfinding, features works by 14 contemporary artists. The artist uses mud's physical properties and metaphorical nature to show their connection to the land and water. To express their exploration of a range of themes, such as environmental degradation, plant cultivation, migration, and the emotions of artists and places. Artists have their own ceramic language to understand and show the complex interdependency between people, land and water.

The Weight of Clay: 40 Years of the Collection

Exhibition Duration: June 16 - October 8, 2023

Location: Burlington, Canada

Art Gallery of Burlington

The exhibition is a retrospective by the Art Gallery of Burlington (AGB) to celebrate the 40th anniversary of its ceramic collection. Over the past four decades, the Art Gallery of Burlington has amassed the world's richest comprehensive collection of Canadian ceramics, totaling more than 4,000 works. The exhibition celebrates the artists, curators, educators, volunteers and donors who have contributed to the gallery's collection for their remarkable contribution to the development of ceramic art in Canada.

The exhibition features a wide range of works by artists from across Canada, ranging from household vessels to sculptural installations. These works show exquisite technical and artistic expression.

Dina Perlasca: Campos de Fuerza/Force Field

Exhibition Duration: June 17 - August 27, 2023

Location: Roswell, USA

Roswell Museum

Dina Pelasca is a Mexican-American artist who integrates her ancestral past with her present environment and aspirations to design and build her own customized future. The exhibition is the artist's first solo exhibition at the museum since receiving his Master of Fine Arts degree.

Claire Linder: Still Motion

Exhibition Duration: June 17 - September 3, 2023

Location: Gabville, France

Institut Européendes Arts Céramiques

The exhibition presents the results of artist Claire Lindner's work during her research and creative residency at the European Academy of Ceramic Art this year.

At the heart of this exhibition is a vibrant life force, with Claire Lindner borrowing energy from the organic world and life with her expressive curves, dynamic forms and intense colors.

Bernard Dejonghe: Fusions

Exhibition Duration: April 8 - October 1, 2023

Location: Nantes, France

Domaine de la Garenne Lemot

The exhibition traces the career and inspiration of Bernard Dejonghe and presents a comprehensive view of the artist's work. The exhibition space is made up of seven rooms, which deal with the themes of travel, glass, earth, color, blue and black, and artists' workshops.

Bernard Dejonghe wants the audience to explore his ceramic and glass work, learn about his inspirations as well as his repetitive language and complex techniques accomplished in his studio.

Daphne Correngan and Gille Suffren：

Revealing the Earth. Histoires de céramique

Exhibition Duration: June 17 - November 5, 2023

(The exhibition at the Gardanabosi Ceramic Museum ends on September 16, 2023)

Location: Provence/Gardana, France

The Vier-Aix Museum

Gardanabosi Ceramic Museum

Leading the project, artists Daphne Correngan and Gille Suffern have brought together works created over three decades to provide a retrospective of their careers. The exhibition brings together a large number of works that span a long period of time, giving people an insight into the continuation and evolution of their individual artistic styles.

Daphne works in dialogue with art, architecture and the human body and history, while Gille is a spatial sculptor who works with materials, working with ceramics and iron. These works show the mature creative ability of each artist.

SOA Arts – Ceramic Art Sculptures for Hotels, Corporates, and More

What does SOA Arts mean? Our company is named save on art(SOA ARTS), because we hope that everyone who likes art can own our works of art at a good price. We want to extend beautiful things to different corners as far as possible.

At the same time, save on art also call on people not to throw away the existing artworks easily. You can use these artworks in another scene, or do some DIY to make ; the artworks glow with new luster and energy.

At SOA Arts, we know how hard it can be to find the large ceramic artwork you’re looking for. Fortunately, we have over 10 years of experience in making our clients’ interior design dreams a reality.

As a leading Chinese factory, we have everything we need to source, curate, commission, and produce exactly what you’re looking for. Get in touch and we’ll be happy to get the ball rolling.

Start your art project commissions today.