Seattle’s Mike Leavitt has crafted an army of 225 polymer clay action figures which he calls his Art Army. The people he immortalizes range from singer Bjork to Chihuly (pictured here) to Vincent van Gogh. “I liked the idea of the art army, of them fighting without violence….It wasn’t just about non-violence, it was about fighting with art, with music, just entertainment, whatever it may be,” he says.
His fully-articulated action figures represent famous artists, each one handmade from Fimo and elastic and standing from 7 to 10 inches tall. Leavitt’s web site chronicles his art that covers a wide range of media and subject matter. It includes an animated feature chronicling “The Art Army vs. The Man.”
One Seattle critic calls Leavitt’s work an antidote to cultural suckiness. Take a look and have an imaginative weekend. Thanks to Susan Rose for the link.
Ronna Sarvas Weltman ,
Leavitt succeeds in art’s most important function — to not only help us recognize and articulate our values, but participate in a dialog that validates them as well. At its best, art connects our best selves with each other, and he has done that.
My heart goes out to our largely forgotten and ignored soldiers in the military. I’m angry over the circumstances that landed them there. I’m grateful to artists who address the subject of “What is it about fighting and glorifying fighting and power, anyway?” in a way that gets our minds thinking and lips moving.
Thanks so much, Cynthia.
Polymer clay toy artists and their site at Polymer Clay Daily ,
[…] top off my exploration, I clicked on the Mike Leavitt link. We’ve featured Mike before and his Barack Obama figure is outstanding. ToyCyte’s […]