Reclaiming Materials: Four Sculptors Recycle April 10, 2008

An exhibition of the work of four women creating abstract sculpture in a variety of mixed, found materials. Joan Robey, Adele Seltzer, Jane Woolverton and Ann Weber will present work. A public reception for the artists will be held on Thursday, April 10th from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. The artists will be present and speak about their work.

Joan Robey creates assemblage sculptures using found materials. Robey puts them together to create abstract compositions that play with balance and spontaneity. "Seeing an object in a new way, removed from its original context, awakens the aesthetic eye. There can be an implicit sadness to discarded objects followed by the positive potential of their re-use. Duality is at the core of my work," the artist explains.

For Adele Seltzer, who has worked for many years as a painter, working in sculpture reflects her interest in using recycled materials of basic shapes and the effects that variation and distortion can have on their meaning. Suddenly, she explains, they take on new symbolic values which can relate not only to physical images but also to themes found in anthropology and the folklore and myths of ancient cultures. Seltzer will present work from her Totem Series.

Ann Weber uses recycled cardboard to construct organic forms that appear to have been sculpted from another material entirely. With works reaching up to sixteen feet in height, the sculptures take on a life of their own. Weber's earlier interest in functional pottery is quite evident, as is the influence of Viola Frey, an important mentor for the artist.

Jane Woolverton finds her materials at a local food shop. She takes all of the plastic six pack holders they can offer her and uses them to construct curtain-like laced and layered wall hangings. She often begins by painting them, then weaves them together using colorful thread or dyed monofilament. The overall effect is something atmospheric.

Free.

Official Website: http://sculpturesitegallery.com