Sculpture Source

Sculpturesite's Booth at LA Art Show

Can you really distinguish yourself when you are but one of 110 galleries in a show of over 15,000 works of art from a myriad of genres including painting, sculpture, works on paper, photography and video?  Is it possible to stand out in a crowd of an estimated 35,000 serious collectors and dedicated art enthusiast all buzzing around a 720,000 sq/ft convention center?  Sculpturesite Gallery answered those questions at the FADA LA Art Show with a resounding – yes, you can!

The event started inauspiciously with rain, rain and more rain.  On average, the sun shines on Los Angeles 338 days a year. Sunny Southern California did not, at first, live up to its promise.  However, while it tended to dampen a few heads and shoulders it could not dampen the enthusiasm of the thousands who attended.  And when the flood of water finally receded on Saturday, the flood of people arrived.  John Denning and Brigitte Micmacker, the owners of Sculpturesite, were more than ready to receive them.

Word spread quickly.  There was a booth near the food court, open at three sides, perfect for foot traffic, which was meticulously planned and presented.  It looked more like a gallery than a booth.  In conversational circles of attendees, Sculpturesite’s space was called “the best booth for sculpture,” and while there, you could see “the best works in the entire show.”  Said another attendee: “your booth is such a breath of fresh air – so lively and light.” It was obviously attracting attention.

“Dark Blue Rain-Curtain”, a massive, yet delicate cast glass piece by Mary Shaffer and “Summer”, a hyper-realistic swimmer resting on an inner-tube (both in meticulously painted resin) by Carole Feuerman were described by many as show stoppers.  The same could be said for the majestic Jeffery Laudenslager kinetic piece, “Hokusai.”  It had a prominent place in the middle of the food court -but will soon relocate to its new permanent home in Malibu.  The rest of the collection was wonderfully varied allowing something for everyone.  Jane Woolverton’s delicate recycled, plastic tapestries played off the monumental material and feel of Benjamin Brown’s steel and glass and Hans Van de Bovenkamp’s bronze.  Brad Howe’s playful mobiles stood in perfect contrast to the elegant pieces of Clement Meadmore.  These sculptures did speak for themselves but for those who wanted more, Mary Shaffer, Carole Feuerman, Jeffery Laudenslager, Brad Howe, Benjamin Brown and John Denning were all present to talk about their work.

All who attended had a memorable experience.  We at Sculpturesite greatly appreciate all who attended. If you would like more information on any of the works or artists you saw, please let us know. If you were unable to see the show, we will be glad to send more photos. And please stop by Sculpturesite Gallery.  Many of the pieces that we displayed at the LA Art Show are now currently on exhibition in San Francisco.  We will see you soon!

At A New Leaf Gallery and Sculpturesite Gallery, we represent more than a few women artists. While most of their work elicits admiration and appreciation, it is sometimes amusing, sometimes frustrating to notice the reactions to pieces by three of these women in particular.

Gale Hart and Lin Emery both create metal sculpture. Lin crafts exquisite kinetic creations of folded, finely welded aluminum. Gale works in reclaimed steel and stenciled automotive paint to turn out pieces with a more industrial bent.

Since both artists have gender-neutral names, visitors are often surprised to learn that these talented metalworkers are women. Comments ranging from, “But it’s so well-engineered, I thought the artist was a man,” to “Is she a big, brawny sort of gal?” have provoked a few (secretly) rolled eyes and playfully tactful comments along the lines of, “You know, sometimes we gals like to play with fire, too!” from our staff.

In contrast, Jane Burton’s large-scale ceramic work deals with the complex and often contradictory themes of womanhood. Sgraffito journal entries applied in oxides to elongated nudes with angel wings (Diva), metal halos (Aura) and golden removable breasts (DD: The Trophy Wife) embody each piece with a personal and very feminine spirit.

Reaction to Jane’s work usually falls along gender lines. Women typically love the pieces, as they communicate the experience of being a woman in a direct, universal language.

Men can be drawn to Jane’s sensual figures, but others show a neutral reaction to all but DD: The Trophy Wife. While women burst into peals of knowing laughter upon seeing the, uh…ample and perfectly shaped golden breasts dangling from a ribbon around the figure’s neck, men either guffaw self-consciously or re-focus everyone’s attention by commenting on an adjacent piece.

We would love to hear from you if you have experienced similar reactions to breaking traditional gender roles in the art world.

One of the most wonderful things about art is that it can come in so many different forms. Even narrowing it down to visual art, there is an extensive and impressive list of genres and periods. And each of these periods has its own unique style with its own unique list of geniuses that defined that age or era. One of the most celebrated of those periods is modern art.

Modern art can be understood as the artwork created roughly from 1860 to as recent as 1970. As the name would suggest, modern art implies that it is a break from the past. As such, experimentation is one of the hallmarks of this period. Whether you’re admiring modern sculptures or modern oils on canvas, modern art is much more likely than any other movement to use unexpected materials and general abstraction.