Pamela Mcdaniel

Iconic Chairs, 2024

My “Iconic Chairs” is a 3-dimensional story featuring numerous chairs of various sizes. The visual elements illustrate that great design remains current even as it ages, evolves, and is appropriated. The design purposefully includes elements both old and new, large and small, and 3 dimensional and 2 dimensional. The Main chair is an appropriation of the Mid-Century Modern era Charles and Ray Eames’ “Molded Plastic Armchair” (circa 1965). Other chairs in the work include the Kartell – Philippe Starck “Ghost” chair, the iconic “Egg” chair, and an original Cantilevered chair. All pieces share a space as it is frozen in time and yet, a closer look tells us it is moving forward through the use of current day 3D Printer assisted manufacturing.

About the Artist

I want to make art for others to enjoy. I paint images of things I enjoy looking at, after all, I have to live with it. I create organic sea-like sculptures, mixed media sculptures, sculptures of multiples, and I enjoy playing with scale. My art is dependent upon the organic thing that inspires me in the moment and THAT is dependent upon the materials I choose to support the overall design.

I’ve created art galleries in a shoe box, giant-sized bottle caps, and leaves from all of the Liberty Trees that once stood as a place to exercise Freedom to peacefully gather, Freedom to speak, Freedom to express one’s thoughts, Freedom to create.

My intention for my art is:

To Engage the viewer and draw them in,
To make them stay a while and ponder,
To inspect, to engage, to evoke a sense of curiosity,
And maybe even draw a smile to their face.

My art is meant to be lived with. (it’s not meant to collect dust in a storage unit somewhere.)
My art is meant to be played with. (Just ask my grandkids.)
My art is meant to have fun with... (Think...Schadenfreude) and not to take life too seriously.

While it may inform and educate, usually from a historical perspective, I don’t create political statements, or art that serves to judge ideas, cultures, or people I don’t know or don’t know anything about. Nor do I spend what time I have left on Earth raising my fist to rage against the machine, by the evidence presented (my wrinkles) I know the machine has already won.

Instead, I liken my art to a mental spa or health retreat where one can experience the much-needed mental nap, a mini-vacation as it were, from the stressors of the day. If stress and excitation are the emotional energies Space Aliens thrive on, then... “Let them eat (Playdough) cake.”