You need to see it close up for the detail - amazing huh?

As much as I hate to admit it, September is looming nearer.  Since this is Michigan, there’s no need to put away the summer shorts and flip-flops just yet but it is time for school supplies.  And before you think it – no, they don’t have to be boring!  First on the list: pencils.

Inspired by the “alluring texture” yet danger of the form and function of a sea urchin, Jennifer Maestre uses colored pencils to create table-top sculptures that feature intricate twists and hundreds of sharpened points. 

After training at the Massachusetts College of Art, Maestre found herself with a fascination of things prickly.  Since pencils were cheap, she began experimenting with them.  Eventually, she found herself trimming them down to the stubs (she calls them beads) used in her sculptures today.  Each one has a hole drilled in the center which allows a wire to be threaded through, connecting it to others to create an elaborate sculpture.

School supplies shouldn’t be boring.  Stay tuned for upcoming segments of the Back to School Chronicles with SHEI.

-B.C.Bodnar

Check out more of our Back to School Chronicles: Paper and Rubber Bands