Beca Piascik
Grandma Millie's Tree

Media: Handmade paper, found wood

Artist Statement:
“Grandma Millie’s Tree” is an installation of five handmade paper sculptural pieces interpreting a special tree on the family farm as the strongest symbolic connection that Rebecca Cleary has with her grandmother. The core shape of the tree is presented through the sculpture of handmade paper in the main piece, with two long sections of split tree branches embedded in the center.  A pulp painting to the right draws attention to the green colors of the foliage on the tree and the surrounding field, while a pulp painting to the upper left draws out the blues and whites of the sky that is the backdrop for the tree and bursts of color between the branches and leaves.  Further above and to the left is a sculpture of the moon as a calm and restful counterpoint to the high energy generated through the foliage during the daytime.  A second moon installed across the room calls viewers to consider beginnings of new natural cycles.

Biography

Beca Piascik creates art through the processes of hand papermaking. She uses innovative techniques in manipulating paper pulp to form 3 dimensional sculptures and textural pulp paintings. Her work is inspired by the core elements, powerful dynamics and specific events occurring in nature, exploring how such natural phenomena impact human social relationships. Beca lives in Calabasas, CA working primarily in Ventura and Los Angeles counties in Southern California.  She maintains an active presence in Boston MA and upstate New York.