Picture
Michelle Kwiecien
Your Briefcase
 2016
Cast iron, Beeswax
Picture
Michelle Kwiecien
Study of a Slow Walk
 2014
Cast iron, Beeswax, Abaca 
Work Statement: “This piece was a study of material and the concept of casting using hand papermaking and iron. As the wet paper dried and took on the shape of feet and legs, the result was similar to the skin left behind from molting. These objects became a representation of the original, never meant to be duplicates. The paper castings were transformed into iron, a process that gave the objects a sense of permanence and weight. This piece became the first of many possible answers to the question “where are memories held in the body.”
Artist Bio: “Michelle Kwiecien is an interdisciplinary artist living in Philadelphia, PA. Through metalworking, hand paper-making, and printmaking she produces objects infused with imagery where memory, time, weight, and fragility are obscured. Her work is ritualistic in method and based heavily in material exploration.
 
Michelle has participated in residencies at Salem Art Works in Salem, NY, Franconia Sculpture Park in Shafer, MN, and the Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in Silver Spring, MD. She currently manages the production of custom and specialty lighting at RTO Lighting and instructs metalworking courses at NextFab Studio in Philadelphia, PA.”
Website: www.michellekwiecien.com

Instagram: @michelle_kwiecien