Fibers Expanded @ Luke & Eloy

What are you doing this Saturday afternoon? Why, you're going to Luke & Eloy for the Fibers Expanded exhibit. Seriously, that is where you are going. Me, I'll be at the day job.

I stopped in Luke & Eloy today, as Brigitte Martin was putting some touches on the installation. Even knowing that I didn't see the whole show in its entirety didn't mar an enjoyable visit. Ms. Martin is very knowledgeable about the artists seected for the exhibit. It is obvious that she has taken great care in selecting works of high quality.

Carol Milne (Seattle, Washington)
"Wake"
Knitted Wax Strands Kiln-cast in Lead Crystal
5.5 (H) x 13 (W) x 13 inches

The above work by Carol Milne is something that you really have to see. The process sounds amazing and involves knitting wax and using it for casting glass. Rellay, I am stunned by this artist's process. It is a beautiful work.


Alison Gates (Appleton, WI)
"Things from Home"
Stitched Silk and die cut Braille paper
Each house 6x6x6 inches
"Spirituality" (Wing), "Labor" (Hand), "Materialsm" (Tag)

Remember, now, I picked these works as representative of the quality of the exhibit. I would strongly recommend a visit to the gallery to pick the works that you respond to. I found Things From Home to be really beautiful, if somewhat ambiguos. The houses have die-cut icons, cut from pages of braile, suspended in them. Very mysterious, very ambiguous.



Islay Taylor (Providence, RI)
"Lace Collar Necklace"
Vinyl Tablecloth, pearls, silver, monofilament
14 x 12 x 5 inches
Islay Taylor's piece was just so lovely. Sometimes, that is enough, you know what I mean?



Norman Sherfield (Eureka, California)
"Sticks and Stones", "Beacon"
Knotted Waxed Lines Sculptures
13 x 4 inches (Sticks and Stones)
11.5 x 5 inches (Beacon)

These pieces by Norman Sherfield were so appealing. The structure of the dolls is reinforced with stones and twigs. Obviously, a lot of thought were put into these works. The coiled basket technique is a simple one, but so well executed in this work. An amazing integration of technique and concept.

Fibers Expanded is opening this Saturday and will run through June 6. Luke & Eloy is a terrific gallery, fast becoming one of my favorite places to view new works in Pittsburgh.

Fibers Expanded
Expanding the possibilities of fiber as an expressive, artistic medium using a wide range of traditional and modern techniques.
May 2, 2009 - June 6, 2009
Opening reception | May 2
LUKE & ELOY GALLERY
5169 Butler Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15201
412.784.1919

Participating Artists:
- Cheryl Eve Acosta
- Atticus Adams
- Alissa Alfonso
- Eileen Doughty
- Ashley Ernest
- Alison Gates
- Beverly Hertler
- Sarah Holden
- Suki Kwon
- Amy Long
- Sharon McCartney
- Carol Milne
- Jennifer Moss
- Matt Nelson
- Masako Onodera
- Ceres Rangos
- Norman Sherfield
- Islay Taylor

Wearable art @Luke and Eloy

Last week, I took a trip up Butler Street to Luke and Eloy Gallery. The exhibit that is currently installed was well worth the trip. But the reasons for this galley to be on your must see list doesn't stop with this exhibit. The gallery houses an incredible selection of wearable art.

Michelle Pajak Reynolds

The above work by Michelle Pajak Reynolds is fom her Drawing series of wearable art. Each work is meant to be worn as an adornment; all of them can also be viewed as an artwork on either a platform as a a wall piece. The works are extraordinary as drawings.

Tod Pardon

The pins that Tod Padon have created are ensconced on small pedestals. The pins are masterfully created and ae more of art than the more pedestrian fare that is usual. The pins are generous in size and would hold a space well, either viewed as a sculpture or worn as an adornment.

Arthur Hash

There are several artists creating more whimsical works, like the above beard pins by Arthur Hash.

Emanuela Aureli

These delicate coils by Emanuela Aureli came as both rings and pins.

Brigitte Martin

The above pins are from Brigitte Martin's Prunella Pins series. Ms. Martin, coincidentally, is the owner of Luke and Eloy Gallery. There weren't a lot of examples of her work on display, but what there was were exceptional. Actually, I could have done with seeing a few more of her works; they were stunning. Ms. Martin studied under a master goldsmith in Germany and has been creating her own wearble art ever since. You can definitely see this long and lustrous expeience in her works. One of the pieces that she had on display was knit from fine silver wire. It was absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately, I did not get an image of it, so you will have to go to the gallery and see it yourself.

All of these beautiful works were appropriately displayed in this gallery. Nothing was crowded, the cases and walls were installed with a respect for the space that individual works need in order to be properly considered. Ms. Martin has an excellent eye for exceptional and well-finished work.Luke and Eloy is a great addition to the Pittsburgh gallery scene. Definitely stop in.

LUKE & ELOY GALLERY
5169 Butler Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15201
412.784.1919

Opening Hours:
Tue - Fri 11-2
Sat 11-5

Benedict Oddi @ Luke & Eloy

You know, I thought that I could get all of my thoughts about visiting Luke & Eloy into one post. I'm not even going to attempt it. It was a very rich experience. So, I think I'll start with Theater of the Mind, the exhibit currently in place at the gallery.

Puppeteer Dreams

The work is by artist Benedict Oddi. The works a really quite stunning. From the artists statement --

My theater-like arrangements of figures in landscape are placed in situations of anxiety and peril, intervened by trace elements of otherworldliness. During the course of these works I have examined human natures, social and institutional conventions. While my reflection was approached through escapism related to utopian and dystopian philosophy, I have tried not to align with one thought or the other, but choose to respond to both concerning the nature of free will.

Besides the really stunning paintings, Luke & Eloy's Brigitte Martin had the forethought to include drawings and constructs by Oddi in the exhibit. These supplemental works provide clear documentation of the Oddi's process in developing the works. Following is an arrangement of some of the constructs that the artist used in developing his paintings.

By itself, or even in combination as presented here, the constructs are only mildly interesting. It is only in the context of the paintings that these sketches begin to take on any significance.

While most of the panels are dark, Oddi's use of color is paramount. The panels glow with jewel-like colors, magnified by surfaces that appear to be wet. The works are small in scale, making them feel precious and even more jewel-like.

Not My Pony

There is a nice balance of formal aesthetics and contemporary images in the works, like the image above, Not My Pony. There is a touch of fantasy, a touch of computer games. Is anyone else a fan of flash games? I play them a lot, probably too much. If there is a pop reference in these works it is in these games, with their blend of reality and fantasy.

Caesar

Obviously, Oddi is referencing the later-day Surrealists, like Magritte and Dali in his works. The interposing of toys and figurines with constucted landscapes and the use of hyper-realism techniques are drawn from these particular surrealists. He has managed to bing his own contemporary viewpoint to the work, though. I was told by Ms. Martin that the following work is one of the artist's earlier works. I am including it because I felt that this piece was particularly beautiful.

The Horde

The exhibit runs though February 21. It seems like a long time, but it is easy to put things off during cold weather. Keep this one at the top of your must-see list. You won't be disappointed. Next up - Luke & Eloy's fine wearable art.

Theater of the Mind
Benedict Oddi
January 17 - February 21, 2009
LUKE & ELOY GALLERY
5169 Butler Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15201
412.784.1919

Opening Hours:
Tue - Fri 11-2
Sat 11-5