M A T E R I A L M A T T E R S
Natural Aréhivists
S T O R Y B Y
M onica Moses
Gregg G r a ff an d Jacqueline Pony a t have fo u n d a way to preserve
their nature-based a rt w ith an equally natural m aterial.
M A N Y C R A F T A R T IS T S B O R R O W
from nature. But few are as
indebted as Gregg Graff and
Jacqueline Pouyat, artistic
and life partners for 25 years.
From their studio in Sequim,
w a ,
the two create lovely mini-
malist pieces by embedding
seeds, pods, reeds and other
natural elements in wax on
hand-finished aluminum.
Graff started his career as a
graphic designer in San Fran-
cisco, Pouyat as a trained bota-
nist doing interior design in Cal-
ifornia wine country. When the
two began to work together,
they fashioned twigs, lichen and
other debris into geometric
sculptures. But while they loved
working with natural materials,
they didn’t like that their pieces
would inevitably degrade after
10 or 15 years. Graff began to
explore ways to preserve their
creations. He considered syn-
thetic resins used in jewelry
making, but didn’t like the toxic
chemicals involved.
Then one day, he had a rev-
elation. Graff had been ponder-
ing historical preservation
methods, along with encaustic
painting, the ancient melted-
wax technique popularized in
the 20th
century by Jasper Johns,
when the idea struck: Maybe
wax—durable, pliable, organic—
could hold their elegant natural
vignettes in place. The two ex-
perimented for three years be-
fore perfecting the seal between
the wax and the aluminum pan-
els that Pouyat cuts and finishes
by hand. The reflective alumi-
num, overlaid with translucent,
pigmented wax, produces the
luminescence that is a signature
of their work.
“That our pieces are com-
pletely archival and will never
degrade is the most exciting
tiling,” Graff says. “W e’re able
to capture nature in a way that it
is sealed. It will not break down.”
Collecting the fibrous ma-
terials that organize their graph-
ical artwork is central to their
process. “W e’re always on the
hunt for unique elements to use
in our pieces,” Graff says. In
fact, they plan travel around
promising collection sites. A f-
ter exhibiting at the American
Craft Council show in San
Francisco in August, the couple
headed to “a couple of secret
spots” near Big Sur to gather
>
Linear Disposition,
2010,
arrowreed and
organic beeswax resin,
6 x 6 in.
Antonyms Flaw,
2010,
eucalyptus, palm and
organic beeswax resin,
6 x 6 in.
Portals 3 1,
2010,
seaweed and
organic beeswax resin,
6 x 6 in.
026 american craft dec/jann
