Jessica Drenk: Regeneration

With her abiding interest in natural science, Drenk transforms commercial products, such as books, PVC pipe, and
pencils, into organic forms that belie their material origins. In her book sculptures, Drenk cuts and carves old volumes
and fashions them into wall based structures that speak of geologic layers, fossils, or oceanic creatures. The polished
wax patina gives the work an aged, organic surface. This play between form and material is an ongoing theme in her
work. The artist writes: “On a long enough time scale, there is no difference between manmade and nature; in the life
cycle of objects, everything eventually returns to the earth.” Drenk’s thought process has involved diverse materials, all put into service of the patterns and geometries of the natural world. Pencils becomes mollusk-like forms or stalactites, Q-Tips are transformed into bleached coral reefs or snow laden tree branches; pages of old books become feathers or shards which, in their aggregate, becomes an ancient map.

The artist writes: “Nature and science are my primary inspirations: there are thousands of patterns and textures I find fascinating…. plants, rocks, shells, landscapes, lichens, microscopic images, cellular patterns and crystalline formations. Everything in the world is formed from basic parts and yet is full of complex textures and shapes of unending variety. The ideas for my work occur at the intersection between the natural shapes I’m drawn to and the materials I use. I tend to forget what they are, and see them instead as something malleable with the potential to
become a fascinating new shape. I let the qualities of each material influence my process, often taking me in new and
unexpected directions. In all of my work I am constantly striving to find balance between complexity and simplicity, to create forms that are both additive and subtractive, and seeking a place in between pattern and chaos.”

An American artist raised in Montana, Drenk has been the recipient of several awards, including an Artist Project Grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts, and the International Sculpture Center’s Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award. Her work can be found internationally in private collections, as well as corporate and university collections within the US. Her work has been pictured in Sculpture and Interior Design magazines, and has recently become a part of the Fidelity art collection and the Yale University collection. Her home and studio are currently in Florida.