Cuddly Rigor Mortis
The Art of Kristin Tercek
Web: http://shop.cuddlyrigormortis.com
Kristin
Tercek is an artist who is well known for her plush toys which were sold via her
online store Cuddly Rigor Mortis. However, after many years of the making the
same items over and over again she has branched out into prints and we are very
glad she did.
Kristin
started painting when she was 12 and had been doing so ever since, she went to
NYU Film School where she explored animation. This is where she met her husband
Ed Mironiuk whose fetish art is well respected (we will be running a piece on
him as well). Together they run an ink and paint business and Kristin produces
these prints as a creative outlet.
Kristin
offers both originals (acrylic on wood) and high quality prints. The
reproductions are Giclée prints,
printed on pH neutral, cotton satin rag fine art paper by Hahnemuhle using an
Epson 9800 and colourfast pigment inks from the K3 inkset at 1440 dpi. These
prints are rated stable for greater than 100 years. Each comes with a
certificate of authenticity and is numbered.
Kristin’s
art is a quirky mix of the sweet and the dark, the combination of nice and
nasty creates a unique bite. For example in Sweet
Lobotomy (2009) we have a very cute little watermelon man but he certainly
looks a bit maudlin, not surprising really, since you want a slice of melon, he
has carefully removed a section of his head and left it on the floor just for
you !
In
Bomb Boy (2004) we have the same
cuteness but with a darker edge. He has large wide eyes, a big shiny black head
and a look of apprehension on his face, perhaps he knows what is coming. He has
a match in his hand and a lit wick on his head, his fate is all too obvious.
This display of innocent beauty at the edge of oblivion is both enticing and
slightly uncomfortable.
Dancing Persephone
(2009) is a more complex work. In Greek mythology Persephone is both the
embodiment of fertility and the Queen of the underworld. Here she is shown as a
innocent dancing child in a ballerina dress. She has one eye closed (with an X)
symbolic of her underworld status and one eye wide open. Her crown is dressed
with skulls. She dances on two pomegranates, one of which is cut right through.
In my mind the extreme redness of the fruit reminds me of meat and flesh, but
maybe that’s just me. The earth below is a green colour but also reminiscent of
the globe of the earth. She has rather pretty dark hair tied off in two bows.
Tercek’s
art is simple yet complex; it uses simple childlike images which are innocent,
coy and cute and yet portray the dark and at times brutal side of life. She has
an excellent grasp of symbolism and uses it to her advantage. I find her art
fascinating and the prints look beautiful when framed and yet are very
reasonable in cost.
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This review will appear in Volume 2 No.6 (2009) of the digital and
print edition of Synergy Magazine.
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