"Hands at Work: Clay, Fiber and Wood" Opening Reception

Gallery West Presents

“Hands at Work: Clay, Fiber and Wood”

September 2 through October 22, 2016

Gallery West presents three extraordinarily talented artisans in three very different mediums. Christina Brown of Moonbird Pottery, Carolyn Nelson in fiber works on the wall, and Philip Hultgren with wood sculpture both freestanding and wall mounted. Though diverse in material, the three dovetail into a whole feast for the eyes.

All are welcome to attend a wine and hors d’oeuvres reception in the gallery on 

Friday, September 2, 5:00-8:00 PM.

The opening coincides with the celebration of State Street First Friday Art Crawl for September.

Christina Brown of Greensboro, NC is the ceramist behind Moonbird Pottery. The name came from an early drawing of a bird done by her son, which he said looked like “a moon and a bird”, thus the Moonbird was born. Variations of this bird rests on many of Brown’s ceramic pieces, some hand built, others thrown on a wheel. The clay is then carved, emerging with natural images of birds, leaves, flowers and vines. After the initial firing, each piece is hand painted with the glazes she creates that bring it to life in the final whimsical work. Brown’s also has a dream to create a business that offers “joyful employment” to refugee women who are trying to rebuild their lives here in the US, connecting art with community.

Twelve years ago, North Carolina artist Carolyn Nelson was “bewitched by a wheat field. A simple field became a profound meditation, a vast unpunctuated poem with energy . . . Many became one.” That hypnotic field continues to find its way into her work. The tactile qualities of her medium¾hand-stitched, layered textile collage ¾merge the conceptual and physical acts of making. Each stitch is a singular mark but finds meaning in concert with a thousand other singular marks and mirror the repetitive features of the field. Nelson hand dyes all surface fabrics, choosing primarily silk organza for its transparent qualities to create a series of related colors through layering. Repetitive hand stitching with similar or contrasting threads creates texture and movement as well as subtle shifts in hue. Edges of fabric may be left free of stitching to accentuate a sense of fleeting atmosphere.

Philip Hultgren of Camden SC is principally a self-taught craftsman. His greatest influence as a woodworker came from his grandfather who taught him knowledge of the usefulness of wood, appreciation of the beauty of wood, and the confidence that whatever he saw in his mind’s eye, he could make. While living in St. Croix, and following hurricane Hugo, West Indian mahogany trees that had been killed by the storm became available to him as a primary source of wood for his work. “Its richness and depth is unparalleled and the ease with which it can be worked is unmatched.” Hultgren was able to bring some of this special wood upon his move to South Carolina. He has transformed, yet kept the unique qualities of the wood into works of art both utilitarian and sculptural.