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Mary Giles
One of the most distinctive elements of
Mary Giles’s work is the addition of thin
metal strips layered over a surface or core,
as she did in A Gathering Bowl and 65
Coppered Men (Radical Ornament). An-
other is her use of male figures in various
contexts. The metal adds color, shine, and
form, but also speaks to her interest in
the human condition. Over time, some of
these metals are going to change, she ac-
knowledged, and that’s fine. That is a part
of nature’s process and the aging process.
Her use of the human figure also reflects
the human condition in physical and psy-
chological terms, linked to natural cycles
of growth and decay.
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63mg 65 Coppered Men
waxed linen, copper, 4.5” x 14” x 10.5”, 1990
68mg A Gathering Bowl
woven waxed linen with copper, signed and dated, 6.5” x 8.5” x 8.5”, 1992