Imaginative interpretation

Texas National winner describes her work and the creative process that leads up to it

New York artist Gail Hoffman is fascinated with many aspects of art.

"If you have an idea, you can translate it into a lot of different things, different mediums," she said recently during a telephone interview from her Syracuse, N.Y. home.

(enlarge photo) (enlarge photo) (enlarge photo) Gail Hoffman and a student pour a plaster and sand mixture to make the investment. Hoffman said once the plaster sets, the investment will be placed in a burnout kiln.Any plastic or wax pieces will burn out, and the bronze can later be poured into hollow areas left vacant by the wax and plastic. (enlarge photo)

An adjunct professor at Syracuse University, Hoffman has worked with several well-known artists, one of whom helped her transition from clay into the cast-bronze medium that she incorporated into her sculpture "Entropy," which won first place at this year's Texas National juried exhibit.

During our recent conversation, Hoffman dished on her winning piece, her transition into the medium and her own views on artistic perception.

Q: Entropy is the movement from order to randomness. What role does randomness play in "Entropy?"

A: I made the piece. And then named it afterwards. So, it was probably something that I was thinking about because I'm interested in physics and science and how it relates to the world. As an observer, I like to portray that in my artwork. Actually, the randomness — in the process of making the piece — happened naturally. I take plastic buildings and burn them out through the lost wax method. So, through that randomness or process, sometimes accidents occur. They don't always come out perfectly, and I have to react to that... (Entropy) is kind of an absurd piece. It deals with a lot of layers of time because you've got the soldiers probably from the 1500s, and then the tanks maybe from WWII or up to now, and you've got the church and a quaint-looking barn that's probably from the 1950s. They're kind of all layered together.

Q: What do you hope that people take away from your work?

A: I really want them to take away their own story or their own perception of it. And even when I make a piece, I'm not quite sure what it means exactly. I sort of have to go back and decode it, because if it works, if I feel that I've sort of captured something, then it sort of seems alive to me, and I try to figure out why. Sometimes it changes from day to day when I look at it. So, I suppose I want people to see something about themselves or their own condition or stories, and make their judgement.

Q: Your Syracuse University biography states that you're interested in the ways metaphor and myth serve as a common language for our seemingly separate dreaming and waking lives. How does this statement apply to "Entropy?"

A: I would definitely say that it's like a dream scene. Like, when I say ("Entropy") is absurd (it's because) you're not going to see that happen. Those (pieces) are all from different time periods. You can look at them as metaphors. The church is a metaphor with the light. It's only half made of plastic and half made of bronze. It's almost like it hasn't quite decayed into bronze yet. It's still got a different type of reality to it. And, I think that if you read your life, sometimes things that you do, and the objects that you surround yourself with in your life, you'll look at them as if you're in a dream. You'll find meaning. And I think that really there is a close relationship between what you do when you dream and what you do in your waking life.

Q: Were you familiar with Roger Shimomura's work prior to Texas National?

A: Yes I was. He actually got a MFA (master of fine arts) at Syracuse University and I saw — I believe they were woodcuts or silk strands — that he showed at the gallery (here) about two or three years ago. I liked his work. It was funny, because I forgot it was him until I went on the Web site and looked. I didn't really know him before. I did, but I didn't make the connection. I also think he has a very playful way of looking at things and also serious at the same time. My work is sort of like that.

Q: Was this your first time to enter Texas National?

A: I think this was maybe the fourth time. I think Jerry Uelsmann and James McGarrell were two years ago or three years ago, and I got a second place award then, and Paul Brach was two years ago and I think he awarded me an honorable mention.

Q: How did you learn about Texas National?

A: Probably through art calendar or through a publication initially. That was about six years ago. I really like this show because they produce a catalog, give awards and have prestigious jurors that I admire. They've always been very helpful. I've had a couple pieces break in transit and they've always been very helpful in trying to fix it and keep it in the show.

Q: How did you get your start in this medium?

A: It was probably about 15 years ago when I came to Syracuse University and there was a wonderful bronze sculptor named Roger Mack. I had these plastic figures that I wanted to burn out and he said that could be done. He showed me the process and I just experimented with it. I liked the idea of making these little set pieces; of taking something that is plastic or wax and turning it into something that seems kind of precious and long-lasting such as bronze, and then introducing the plastic back again. It was a big step because I had never taken a sculpture class before.

Q: Are you represented by any galleries?

A: I'm down at SoHo 20 Chelsea in New York. I've been a national affiliate member for about six years. We have a show down there about once a year, and I've shown at a couple other places in New York as well. But, right now I'm just trying to get my Web site up. It's www.gailhoffman.net.