Gorgeous Geologically-Inspired Volcanic Geode Sculptures Formed With Colorful Molten Beeswax

Artist Laura Moriarty has created absolutely gorgeous, geologically-inspired sculptures which closely resemble volcanic geodes cut in half. The sculptures are built out of richly pigmented molten beeswax which is heated, cooled and reheated to form a weathered exterior along with an interior containing beautiful swirled layers of color and pattern.

Taking poetic license with geology, I compare processes of the studio with processes of the earth. Layers of color form the strata of a methodology in which the immediacy of the hand can translate a sense of deep time. Working and reworking molten, richly pigmented beeswax, I build each painting/object through a slow, simple yet strenuous physical engagement, which often becomes a metaphor for the ephemerality of life and civilization.

Moriarty’s “Sculptural Paintings” is part of a Berman Museum exhibition entitled “A Stratigraphic Fiction” and will be on display through March 17, 2017.

A Stratigraphic Fiction presents a constellation of sculptures, photographs, films, and works on paper from 1970 to the present, all keyed to the underlying hum of recent discussions surrounding the theory of the Anthropocene—the newly coined term for the most recent epoch in geologic time.

via Colossal

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.