Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 5
Michael O'KeefeThe Laurel Series, #62011
2011
About the Item
Michael O’Keefe’s sculptures, drawings, and paintings depict figurative narratives born from unpredictable processes. He couples innovative methods with unconventional tools to create figuration that is fresh and original. O’Keefe says, “My playful processes generate exciting and new vocabulary. I compose these vocabularies according to my artistic compass, forming each work into a dynamic visual experience. It is not until the work is near completion that I begin to recognize the figures within; they are from the past, of our time, and perhaps, pointing to the future. These figures put us within a narrative that begins, with no preamble, in the middle of things (In Medias Res).”
About his Laurel Series, Michael O'Keefe states:
"I believe that nature follows a general rhyme and reason. After many years of drawing and sculpting from the model, and many additional years teaching in front of the model, I have come to understand the general laws of the forms of the human body. These laws are not simply about mechanics but are also about the more general way in which natural forms move through space, interact with each other, transition from one to the next, compliment each other and contrast each other. As one becomes more familiar with the forms of the human body one realizes that the same visible laws of nature can be found in other non-human natural forms. I have always found that trees are especially interesting in how they relate to, and in many cases echo, human forms. There are countless examples in literature of the anthropomorphizing of trees, and for good reason. It is a basic and an innate tendency of human psychology to attribute human traits to just about anything, but trees are especially fertile ground in this regard. First and foremost, the gesture of form in trees is so incredibly relatable to the gesture of form in the human body. The various sequences of form that allow us to read people's body language can often be found in the forms of a tree. This is why, on a number of occasions, I have happened upon branches, stumps, or other tree fragments that struck me as a beautiful, albeit partial, figurative sculpture already underway. In the case of the Laurel Figure series, all of the torsos of these figures are derived from a single mold that was made from a section of tree that I spotted floating at the edge of White Rock Lake. The shape of this section of tree, accompanied by the movement of the surface texture, made for a very evocative female torso with the suggestion of a dress. Having captured this shape and texture in a rubber mold, I was able to make various casts with differing contours by bending the mold in different ways before casting. Each torso had its own gesture that was completed with the construction of legs and a head. In ancient Greek Mythology, Daphne was turned into a laurel tree to avoid the pursuing Apollo, rendering the laurel tree a symbol of human triumph. Alternatively, I used the triumphant forms and texture of a tree to render my figures alive with expressive gestural movement."
Michael O’Keefe earned his MFA from SMU and currently teaches at The O’Keefe Studio Center in Richardson, Texas.
- Creator:Michael O'Keefe (1977, American)
- Creation Year:2011
- Dimensions:Height: 48 in (121.92 cm)Width: 14.5 in (36.83 cm)Depth: 9.38 in (23.83 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Dallas, TX
- Reference Number:
About the Seller
5.0
Recognized Seller
These prestigious sellers are industry leaders and represent the highest echelon for item quality and design.
Established in 1954
1stDibs seller since 2013
151 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: Several days
Associations
Art Dealers Association of America
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Dallas, TX
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
More From This SellerView All
- That Interim of PurposeBy Michael O'KeefeLocated in Dallas, TXThe sculpture is painted cast plaster. The dimensions are for the painted cast plaster. The black base dimensions are 2 x 10 x 10 inches. About this body of work: “Everybody has that feeling when they look at a work of art and it’s right, that sudden familiarity, a sort of...recognition, as though they were creating it themselves, as though it were being created through them while they look at it or listen to it...” ―William Gaddis, "The Recognitions" “A great deal of my recent work was made during a time when I was reading the great American novel by William Gaddis, "The Recognitions," the most demanding book I’ve ever read. Along the way, I extracted sentence fragments that interested me and I pieced them together to make the titles for the last three years of my work. So, my recent work is linked to Gaddis’ novel through the titles, but also in the theme of “recognition,” which speaks to the nature of my work. I feel my way through various processes until I recognize a possibility―a possibility that is promising in terms of visual dynamics but also in terms of giving a body to some part of my experience. It is my hope that the viewer is compelled to recognize some part of themselves reflected in the work.” —Michael O’Keefe Michael O’Keefe earned his MFA from SMU and currently teaches at The O’Keefe Studio Center in Richardson, Texas. This sculpture was included in "Recognitions," his fifth solo exhibition at Valley House...Category
2010s Contemporary Abstract Sculptures
MaterialsPlaster, Paint
- Desiderium HeadBy Michael O'KeefeLocated in Dallas, TXIn his sculptures, drawings and paintings, Michael O’Keefe employs unpredictable processes as a means to discover content. He couples accident and chance with unconventional methods, tools, and materials as a means to move beyond the boundaries of his tendencies. In his recent sculptures of heads...Category
2010s Contemporary Abstract Sculptures
MaterialsPlaster, Pigment
- The Voice From WithoutBy Deborah BallardLocated in Dallas, TXFrom Memories of Egypt Series. The figure has always been Deborah Ballard’s muse in her sculptures. Ballard works in bronze, cast stone, and plaster; her figures ranging from life-s...Category
2010s Contemporary Sculptures
MaterialsPigment, Wax, Plaster
- Think IIBy Deborah BallardLocated in Dallas, TXThe figure has always been Deborah Ballard’s muse in her sculptures. Ballard works in bronze, cast stone, and plaster; her figures ranging from life-size to hand-size. Ballard says...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsIron, Stainless Steel
- Agathist HeadBy Michael O'KeefeLocated in Dallas, TXIn his sculptures, drawings and paintings, Michael O’Keefe employs unpredictable processes as a means to discover content. He couples accident and chance with unconventional methods,...Category
2010s Contemporary Sculptures
MaterialsPigment, Plaster
- Walk Series: Going PlacesBy Deborah BallardLocated in Dallas, TXThe figure has always been Deborah Ballard’s muse in her sculptures. Ballard works in bronze, cast stone, and plaster; her figures ranging from life-size to hand-size. Ballard says, ...Category
2010s Contemporary Sculptures
MaterialsIron
You May Also Like
- Future Relic no.3 (Clock)By Daniel ArshamLocated in London, GBDaniel Arsham Future Relic no.3 (Clock), 2015 Plaster and broken glass comes with the original box some minor wear to the box. 14 × 12.7 × 6.4 cm Edition of 400 Daniel Arsham is a c...Category
2010s Contemporary Still-life Sculptures
MaterialsGlass, Plaster
- Scientia Vos LiberabitBy Raphaël Jaimes-BrangerLocated in Boston, MAMedia: Plaster, Yves Klein Blue, Gold Leaf Signed and titled in pencil on base. Stamped with a wax seal.Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsGold Leaf
- Oxymoron - figurative sculptureBy Tal NehorayLocated in New York, NYThis standing kinetic sculpture by Tal Nehoray is from her latest body of works and is made of 2 hand made sculptures: a heart and a brain that are mounted on metal base. Both sculpt...Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsMetal
- Mon mammifère préféré (Strange form of life)Located in Montreal, QuebecLes couleurs de la terre is the first joint exhibition by artist duo Hélène et son mari, composed of ceramist Hélène Chouinard and multidisciplinary artist Jean-Robert Drouillard. Co...Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsPorcelain, Plaster, Mixed Media
- UntitledBy Eddy FirminLocated in Montreal, QuebecThe first decades of the 21st century shaped the period of reconfiguration of the "world order", according to Pedro Pablo Gómez1, into three options: "rewesternalization, dewesternal...Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsCeramic, Leather, Wood, Plastic, Plaster, Mixed Media
- UntitledBy Eddy FirminLocated in Montreal, QuebecThrough his impactful self-portrait in thoughtfully ornamented ceramic, makes an uncomfortable connection between the slavery of the past and the slavery of today: overconsumption, a...Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsPlaster, Mixed Media, Wood
Recently Viewed
View AllMore Ways To Browse
Sculpture Ancient Greece
Ancient Greek Sculpture
Law Sculpture
Plaster Art Casts
White Tree Sculpture
Sculpture Greek Mythology
Greek Sculpture Heads
Ancient Plaster
Apollo Sculpture
Body Sculpture Plaster
Greek Female Sculpture
Plaster Fragment
Cast Plaster Head
Head Sculpture Fragments
Plaster Cast Art Model
Plaster Cast Figure
Greek Sculpture Plaster
Ancient Torso