Red Bud

Torin Mathieu, Red Bud, 1996, fabricated, cast, and oxidized sterling silver and glass beads, clasped: 17 ¹⁄₈ x 6 x 1 ³⁄₄ in. (43.5 x 15.2 x 4.4 cm) unclasped: 29 x 2 x 1 ³⁄₄ in. (73.7 x 5.1 x 4.5 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist in memory of Nancy Wardwell, 1998.64

Artwork Details

Title: Red Bud
Artist: Torin Mathieu
Date: 1996
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: clasped: 17 ¹⁄₈ x 6 x 1 ³⁄₄ in. (43.5 x 15.2 x 4.4 cm) unclasped: 29 x 2 x 1 ³⁄₄ in. (73.7 x 5.1 x 4.5 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of the artist in memory of Nancy Wardwell
Mediums: glass
silver
Mediums Description: fabricated, cast, and oxidized sterling silver and glass beads
Classifications: Decorative Arts
Object Number: 1998.64
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1998.64

Artwork Description

In Red Bud, Torin Richards shows how simple forms can enrich each other. She used a botanical illustration of a magnolia bud and a cluster of berries as a model. For the artist, the juxtaposition recalls poison berries, snow-covered branches, a thorn-bearing plant, as well as the gray of earth and sky in winter. She hopes that these recognizable forms will evoke personal associations in the viewer.