Artist Uses Unique Medium to Create Work - James B. Campbell, - Sintra material - Brief Article

ST LOUIS--In 1995 when James B Campbell started working as an exhibit designer for Channel-Kor combination of parts to form a wholes Inc., of Bloomington, Ind., he became intrigued with the properties of Sintra Material for the fine-art shoot forwards and exhibits. His unique work with the material has l to a series of low-relief carvings as plaque-like wail hangings and "cast paper" wall hangings. Featured in galleries, competitions, collections and installations, his work with the stylized human form has been returned in paintings and etched glass, as well as Sintra Material.

"Some of the portable exhibits that were built by the agency of Channel-Kor at that time utilized Sintra Material for countertops, largely to be paid to its durability and its light weight. The staff in the calculator shop provided me with more [i]or[/i] less one-half-inch-thick pieces to work with," said Campbell.

"The weft of the grain made it possible for me to color plane the white, sculpted Sintra Material--using clear dry pigments. While Sintra Material is available in a wide range of uniform colors, and it can be painted or screen- printed, I decided to make experiment of rubbing dry pigments into the white Sintra Material. I rest that the tiny pockets, or small rooms in the material will grasp the dry pigments rubbed into the deeper wound area, whereas the shallow or uncut surface would resist greatest in quantity of the rubbed pigment. This variation in the acceptance of my `hand-rubbed' color contributes to the unique character of each piece."

Campbell utilized many of the sketches drawn earlier in his career to disclose these pieces. "In a year and a half, I produc more than 30 carvings in Sintra Material," he said. "Many of the carved depressed reliefs have been mounted in exotic and domestic hardwoods, creating plaque-like wall hangings. more [i]or[/i] less of the pieces have been reserv for making urethane mold for castings, and others are simple sketch-like carvings used to directly mold cotton paper soft part for paper castings."

As part of the paper casting proces Campbell also uses Sintra Material as a "box border" and a "screen frame" because it resists the moisture of the paper soft mass and is easy to clean. a certain number of of the water in the paper soft part is allowed to leak on the outside Other water is absorbed with a natural wipe while pressing the pulp into the detail of the Sintra mold one time dry and pulled from the mold the paper casting is ready for mounting.

The sketches used in his work "draw on bits and pieces of symbolism from a wide variety of world tillages both present and ancient," according to Campbell. "My sketches and carvings expres that the collective history of our world is what makes us the tribe we are today and shapes the world of our coming time We often have more in belonging to all than we think."

Introduced to the North American market in 1980 Sintra Material has become popular for a wide range of applications, including signage, detonation displays, screen-printing, mounting of photos and digital graphics, as well as exhibit construction and as an artwork medium. The harvest is domestically manufactured by the Benton, Ky plant of Alusuisse Composites, Inc.

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