PRIZEWINNERS
SHOW
Creative Arts Workshop features the new
work of the winners of the 2007 national exhibition Ceramic
Abstraction: Exploration and Evidence, juried by internationally
renowned ceramic artist Paula Winokur. Recent work by Nicholas
Kripal (Philadelphia,
PA), Judit Varga (Rockville, MD) and Nicholas
Wood (Arlington, TX) will be exhibited in the CAW Hilles
Gallery from January 18 to February 8 with an opening reception
on Friday, January 18 from 5 to 7 pm.
This exhibition will exemplify
the emphasis of Ceramic Abstraction – the
clay material as an elemental substance inherently capable of
abstraction. The material is not only explored in the traditional
sense – using a variety of clays, glazes, and firing temperatures – but
also by the concepts and ideas beyond the ordinary. “There
seem to be no boundaries that cannot be investigated,” Winokur
commented about Ceramic Abstraction. Included
are works on the wall, the pedestal, and an installation.
FROM THE ARTISTS
NICHOLAS KRIPAL
Over the past seven years
one aspect of my studio practice has been an investigation of
site-related/site-specific installations. Specifically - but
not exclusively - I have created sculptural installations within
sacred spaces. Working in this manner I am interested in the
history of the site, the religious rites that take place within
there, and the architectural iconography of the site. The last
is of particular interest as it operates as a signifier for the
other two. Unlike traditional exhibitions in white box gallery
spaces, these sited installations involve interaction with the
siteís congregation, and extensive research and development for
preliminary proposals that describe and negotiate the conceptual
and aesthetic integration of the sculpture to the site. Consequently,
all of the above affect and determine the outcome of the final
installation. Furthermore, the research for these site-related
installations inevitably generates ideas that extend into other
aspects of my studio practice. The sculpture, Variations on W.S.
No. 5, included in this exhibition, is one example.
JUDIT VARGA
Finding the perfect balance
between shape, color, surface and structure is always a challenge,
an emotional struggle. The mere existence of this powerful energy
makes it so appealing to me to work with clay. My work has a
strong connection with nature and its organic structures, which
is built upon. Iím not interested in simply copying the forms
and textures rather I wish to understand the reasons and relations
which lay beneath the surface of a shiny pod or a weather-worn
shell. My surface treatments and hand building method is a painstakingly
slow process which gives me the opportunity to step back, rearrange
and change direction if needed. I work in a quiet solitude in
my small basement studio and find this peaceful loneliness a
perfect stage for my play with clay. In the silence sometimes
there is a moment of harmony when the clay and I understand each
other perfectly - we know exactly what the other ones wants to
do. Those are the moments that I long for and this longing draws
me back to the studio to open up a new bag of clay and start
again.
This collection of works is a record of
my long journey with the clay to create delicate multilayered
surfaces; shells with textures and patterns; paper thin porcelain
skins with rigid structures. I try to find the perfect balance
and harmony in my creative inquisition of the malleable clay
so my technical knowledge is not controlling but rather providing
an idyllic stage for this earthy material to act in its own natural
way. These works are diligent dialogues, collections of ideas
and marks; my intimate verbiage for a singular language in clay.
NICHOLAS WOOD
With
a background as a painter prior to my involvement in sculptural
media, I find my work frequently manifests itself in hybrid forms
with its relationship to painting and sculpture. I have always
been intrigued by the dimensional, spatially interactive nature
of sculptural form, yet also drawn to the frontal, illusionistic
quality which painting's surfaces yield.
The ěTabletî series reflects my interests in the nature and application
of a materialís inherent processes of transformation and the
use of repetition as methods for creation. The ěTabletî series
are compositions adapted from my drawings and expressed in sculptural
terms. These tablets are modified, encoded systems that employ
modulation, syncopation, texture, progression, memory, and reference.
While the initial choices of imagery and composition are conceptually
established, the work is structurally open enough to pose a variety
of interpretations. It is about presenting multiple layers and
readings and, for me, floats in a state that like abstraction
itself, esteems ambiguity and discovery.
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