Cotton Sculptures and Carvings

An extraordinary "Kepeng Lamak" from Bali, Indonesia, circa early 20th century. Lamak is a general term for temple hangings, mostly made of disposable materials like palm leaves for temporary offerings. A small number, such as this piece, were made by wealthy and aristocratic families for permanent display. The lamaks are traditionally displayed in temples or residents for a strong spiritual reason in Bali that is known as "Artja". They could function as receptacles, or a vessels of for the habitation of the deities when they descent to the earth on propitious occasions. In a goddess form with a carved wood head adorned with painted face and mirrored crown who likely represents Dewi Danu, the water goddess, this lamak was constructed with a bamboo frame, cotton pompoms, fabric fragments...

Artist: Ross Mazur, American and Marcia Mazur-gold, American Medium: Handmade paper, pressed cotton fiber collage sculpture in Plexi-case, signed in pencil “Marcia Gilbert Mazur” Measurements: 44 5/8? H x 5 3/8? D x 34 3/8? W Condition report: Minor age appropriate handling wear. Original Plexi-case frame with some cracks small piece of plexi missing in lower corner (frame overall of very fine quality and condition). Overall remaining in outstanding presentation– good condition. Ross Mazur was born and raised in Chicago. After receiving a scholarship at the Chicago Art Institute, he enjoyed a 20-year career as an illustrative photographer, bringing to the industry many original and innovative techniques still in use today. Ross Mazur has been a full-time working artist all his life. Since the 1980s he has focused his creative endeavors painting, shaping and embellishing handmade pulp paper. This kind of art can be hard, but satisfying, work. The end result of this effort is an interesting combination of production processes from raw materials to finished art pieces. In 2002, Marcia and Ross completed a video segment for the PBS series “The Artist’s Workshop”. Ross was introduced to paper art by his wife Marcia Mazur-Gold, who died 2004, but before her death they collaborated on the creation of mixed media compositions. They had been working as a team on and off since 1971 and began working in paper in 1981 when Marcia took a papermaking workshop at the famous Ox Bow Art School in Michigan. Drawn to his wife’s creative work, Ross quickly left his clay work and other art behind. By 1980s Ross owned a gallery on the North Shore in Chicago which he ran for four years but then moved on to do mainly art expos and festivals around the country including New York City. In 1986, the Mazurs showed their work at the Los Angeles Art Expo and stopped off in Sedona. Two weeks later they bought a house here and built their studio. They also maintained a studio in Miami and, for a while, in Michigan, which gave them an opportunity to work closer to the main art festivals where they sold their work. Where they went really all depended on where the collectors of their art went. Moving around the country, with the Mid-West in the summer, and Florida in the winter, with the Arizona art festivals in between, became a way of life. Here in Arizona, Ross participated in art festivals in Sedona, Tempe, Scottsdale, Tucson and Fountain Hills. In 1991 Mazur’s work took a turn toward Native American motif although his paper sculptures, both free-standing and for the wall, remained abstract. He also removed the Lucite framing that encased the paper art. This change dramatically altered the way the paper art was perceived, especially here in Arizona. It sells extremely well. Just as Ross loves the tactile nature of this medium, perhaps his collectors also feel the need to be close to the art without impediments such as Lucite cases. At the present time Ross is working on a series of sculptural compositions for the wall as well as free standing sculptures. These pieces are composed of a pressed cotton fiber matrix, utilizing the process of handmade paper. Mazur has participated in the Sedona Art...