Artists Describing Their Art:
Ivan Kosta - My mission? To give some resemblance of our lives, to touch our fears,concerns, evoke dreams and give hope in time of dispair... ...
Bruce Naigles - From a philosophical standpoint, all that we perceive in the world of form is an outer expression of an inner dynamic. Though my work is predominantly figurative, I find it to be the art of giving form to the formless; ideas, emotions, relationships, events. These are by their very nature intangible and essentially abstract, though they continually alter and effect our physical reality. We read them through our intuitive understanding of body language, much as snow blown about on a winter's day reveals the invisible movement and form of the wind. To 'clothe' these subliminal qualities in human figures and bring them forth in a sculpture, whether it be a simple figure inspired by a model's beauty or an allegory of our human condition, is the basic goal and driving force in my work. ...
Jack Hill - All of my sculptural work is bronze, cast in the "lost wax" technique. Besides sculpting the original work, I am hands on with all the phases of the casting process, including the molds, waxes, metal, and application of the patinas. My foundry experience allows me to ensure the quality and integrity of each idea, from inspiration to final presentation. The ideas are born from observation of the human existence, in all its splendor and absurdity. The addition of my own whimsy and uncommon approach brings about an expression of life in the permanence of bronze. People are only one part of the whole planet and my anthropomorphic works are an exploration of the blending of man into various parts of the environment. With attention to anatomic detail and a tongue-in-cheek twist I wish to stimulate the imagination and, maybe, tickle the funny bone. Questions? Call me at 305/240-3238 A new line of work has been added that I call "Body Armor". The human form is treated as if skin was an armor that could be put on or removed as needed. If it had been lost long ago and recently rediscovered, what would it look like. ...
Mavis Mcclure - Mavis McClure Born: 1967 Selected Exhibitions: 2004 Chaco Gallery (w/Nathan Oliveria & Peter Voulkos) 2002 Oakland City Gallery (w/Viola Frey), Oakland, CA 2001 Solo Show, LewAllen Contemporary 2000 "From the Fire", Bedford Gallery, Walnut Creek, CA "Contemporary Figure", LewAllen Contemporary, Santa Fe 1999 Solo Show, Jan Baum, Los Angeles, CA "Enduring Form", LewAllen Contemporary, Santa Fe SOFA Chicago, Sandy Carson, Denver, CO 1998 Solo Show, Virginia Breier, San Francisco, CA "Pedestals & Stretchers", LewAllen Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM "30 Ceramics", John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA Olive Grove Sculpture Walk, Auberge du Soleil 1997 "Saving Grace", A New Leaf Gallery, Berkeley, CA "30 Ceramics", John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA 1996 "Au Plien Air", A New Leaf Gallery, Berkeley, CA Ceramic Sculpture, Virginia Breier, San Francisco, CA Publications: American Craft San Francisco Chronicle Santa Fe Magazine ArtWeek Albuquerque Journal Contra Costa Times San Jose Mercury News Trend Magazine Interior Design New York Times Collections: Doug Ring, Los Angeles, CA American Museum of Ceramic Art Fourth Street Shopping District, Berkeley, CA CB & Dick Watts, Los Altos, CA Howard & Matilda Rubin, Santa Fe, NM Estate of Jerry Garcia, Mill Valley, CA Mary & John Carrington, Newport Coast, CA Anita Roddick, West Sussex, England Robin & Leonard ...
Mark Dedrie - Mark Dedrie, an artist in motion by Robin d'Arcy Shillcock The first things you notice when confronted by work of Belgian sculptor Mark Dedrie (1962) are the stylized shapes and their highly polished finish. Although working within the tradition in which colour is omitted in favour of form, his approach is not so much classical an literal as turning a refined distillation of visual reality into a sculptural statement. He transforms a world of colour and movement into a world of presences, of volumes and elegant lines, and manages weightlessness in heavy bronze. This results in tactile, visually attractive sculptures. There aren't too many sculptors who know how to stylize animal shapes well, and even fewer that seek the degree of refinement Dedrie is striving for. It results in soft and sensual surfaces that underline the exquisite grace of birds like ducks and long-legged waders. There are honestly merely a few I can name. Francois Pompon (France 1855-1933) worked on Rodin's marble sculptures before becoming one of the greatest animal sculptors of the modern era. His work instigated what I call the Movement of Form, comprising the sculptors who preferred to distance themselves from ...
Stephanie Amos - ABSTRACTION IS AN ART ALL IN ITS OWN. NOT TO BE UNDERSTOOD BUT APPRECIATED. FOR ME IT COMES FROM DEEP DOWN, FROM THE HEART AND SOUL. IT IS MY WAY OF EXPRESSING MY EMOTIONS AND FEELINGS. THE BRUSH IS MY VOICE. THE PAINT ARE MY WORDS. COLOR, DEPTH, SPACE, COMPOSITION-THEY JUST APPEAR.~SAMOS I spent most of my secondary education in the art room. Any spare time that I had I was drawing, painting, or sculpting. Not much has changed over the years. After high school I went off to college. Gave it a shot and decided it wasn't for me. So I took off for the Bering Sea to become a commercial fisherman. I fished for about five years. After a knee injury I decided I was ready for school again. This time I knew what I wanted to do. Study art. I wanted to know everything there was to know. And so began the rebirth of my art. I work in three different mediums. I paint original abstract paintings on canvas using a brush and palette knife. I work mostly in oils, but am branching out with acrylics and mixed medias. I also create abstract figurative ...
Bozena Happach - My sculptures illustrate the complexity and beauty of human form in two and three-dimensional compositions. I intend to demonstrate the depth as well as the foibles of the human endeavor, along the journey of both physical and spiritual evolution. ...
Penko Platikanov - Sculpture is an act of creating art, and a philosophy on living. It is my belief that my artwork follows some means of a universal law I call "Creation and Beauty." Stated simply, there is no doubt a responsibility inherent toward created forms. It's quality, it's energy, and the messages released through my actions are expressions that I work toward being aware of. This is the first thing I concern myself with before I step into my studio and stand before the set block of clay on any given day. A quality sculpture has to be a product of spiritual, mental and technical abilities. Great works of art should possess deep roots in human spirituality, as well as depth regarding thought and feeling. Artwork can appear as fleeting inspirations or a belabored process based on the experience of the artist. In turn, if an artwork is created with the intention of lasting decades and being viewed for many generations, it has to be technologically strong and skillfully made. Important thought is the search for quality. Quality, which is proportional to the amount of effort, must be made to the best of the artist's ability. The Ancient Greeks ...
Gabor Bertalan - CURRICULUM VITAE I WAS BORN IN SALGOTARJAN, HUNGARY IN 1956. I ATTENDED SCHOOL IN BUDAPEST. I LEARNED SCULPTURAL ARTS THROUGH PRIVATE CHANNELS, PARTLY IN HUNGARY UNDER THE DIRECTIONS AND WITH THE HELP OF ATTILA BOBALY AND JOZSEF SOMOGYI, AND PARTLY IN MENTON, FRANCE. IN 1996 I ATTENDED THE SUMMER ART ACADEMY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED ARTS IN BUDAPEST. I HAD INDIVIDUAL EXHIBITIONS IN THE MADACH GALLERY OF SALGOTARJAN IN 1993, IN THE SERBIAN CHURCH OF BALASSAGYARMAT IN 1997, AND IN THE UJPEST GALLERY IN 2004. GROUP EXHIBITIONS: 1993: SZECSENY 1995: BUDAPEST, MENTON 1996: BALASSAGYARMAT, SALGOTARJAN, NAGYATAD 1999, 2000, 2003, 2005: SALGOTARJAN - SPRING EXHIBITION, OPEN-AIR SCULPTURE EXHIBITION 2000: CANNES 2005: NAGYATAD, NATIONAL EXHIBITION OF WOOD SCULPTURES SZECSENY, WINTER EXHIBITION - PRIZE OF THE TOWN OF SALGOTARJAN CURRENTLY I LIVE AND WORK IN BUDAPEST. INITIALLY I WORKED EXCLUSIVELY WITH WOOD. NOW THE MATERIAL OF MY SCULPTURES IS MAINLY WAX AND BRONZE CAST AFTER A WAX MOULD. MY THOUGHTS, FEELINGS AND THE PLASTIC FORMS GUIDED BY THE FORMER ARE FOCUSED ON TWO MAIN CONCEPTS: "NATURALNESS AND SIMPLICITY" ...