Friday, August 5, 2011

Hay Sculptures Part of "Pissarro's People" Exhibition



Michael Melle of Plainfield, MA, is an artist and sculptor. You can check out his website at http://www.scarecrowgarden.com/  His life sized "human" figures, made from hay and string, are nothing short of amazing. They look so real one would think they are going to strike up a conversation. Upon closer inspection, however, one sees they are made from hay and are faceless. They are truly one-of-a-kind.




Currently, 10 of his hay people are displayed on the lawns of the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, MA. They are being shown in conjunction with a huge exhibition of paintings titled "Pissarro's People."

Camille Pissarro, (1830-1903), was a French impressionist who was born on the Caribbean Island of St. Thomas, while it was under Dutch rule. He was known for his landscapes, but also painted rural workers such as apple pickers and men and women doing agricultural work. He always depicted them with dignity.






Mike Melle looked through Pissarro's paintings and picked out the ones he wanted his sculptures to depict. Then he got to work and made the "hay people" for the Clark. Melle, in a sense, brought some of Pissarro's paintings to life!











Here's one of the Clark:



Shown in this post are some photographs of the Mike Melle's hay figures for your enjoyment.


HAVE YOU SEEN PROFESSIONAL SCULPTURES MADE FROM HAY?

8 comments:

diane stetson said...

I've never seen anything made of hay unless it is a haystack. Some people are so creative. These were just great...

Chatty Crone said...

No, except for right now. How cool was that. I really liked the one with the beard. The lady bending down I was afraid would get kicked in the butt!
I wonder where and how he starts one?

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

wow, those are so cool! Such unique and talented works!

Tammy@T's Daily Treasures said...

Never, ever have I seen anything like this before. Wow! So interesting that he made the paintings come to life in this form. They are very cool, and yet a bit scary too. I'm not sure I would want to be around them at night. :/ Have a great day! Tammy

Linda O'Connell said...

Aren't these fantastic? We have a pumpkin patch that has hay and cornstalk horse sculptures which appear to be pulling a wagon with two scarecrows sitting atop the wagon. These are amazing.

Bookie said...

Enjoyed seeing these. I can not figure how the fine details like fingerss are made with only string...no glue or anything?

Anonymous said...

I LOVE IT!!!
Creativity is so open ended. You definitely found a nugget in your day.
Chris
http://everydaylifeblessings.blogspot.com/

Karen Lange said...

I have not, so I am glad you shared these! They are so interesting. I might do a double take from a distance. :)
Have a great weekend,
Karen

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