| From July 16 - August 13, 2005, The Folk Tree Collection presents WOOD: Form & Function:
Assembled, Carved & Turned, an exhibition featuring the work of approximately fifteen artists. The show includes vessels, furniture and accessories with wood as the primary medium, reflecting the unique styles and techniques of their designers. A reception is scheduled for Saturday, July 16, from 2 - 6 P.M. A focus of the show is wood-turning. Turners represented include: Ben Fischer, Mark Fitzsimmons, Jim Givens, Bill Haskell, David Holzberger, Jim Richardson, Jon Sauer, Damon Siples, and Al Sils. Most of these artists have been turning for years. Ben Fischer refers to his vase forms, which incorporate colorful epoxy elements, as "small reflections" because upon peering inside the openings, viewers find themselves staring at their own eyes. Mark Fitzsimmons' "stitched" vessels are turned from "rediscovered wood" which he finds on the streets of Los Angeles and the surrounding region. He maintains a database of addresses where the trees used to live, placing his creations within a historical context. This history is also uncovered in the way he works with wood, purposely revealing and accentuating hidden color, and the visually intriguing remnants of old traumas and infestations. The results are forms which explicitly refer to the organic nature of their material. Jon Sauer has been turning since the late 1960s. His covered vessels are created on an Ornamental Lathe made in 1868. The natural grain and figure patterns of the wood dictate his ultimate designs, which always include a type of engraving that produces wavelike patterns of parallel and intersecting lines. Several carvers are represented in the show. One notable example is Yo Takimoto, who travels back and forth between Japan and California, teaching carving on two continents. Critical to his technique is working with a blank mind, a method he encourages his students to adopt. He uses a single knife and carves according to the shape of the wood, creating eggs and abstract shapes that have long graceful lines. The wood he uses often comes from cedar, maple or sequoia trees. Takimoto collects scraps from builders and carpenters, so each piece has a different origin. Furniture designers Michele Houston and William Stranger contribute a few larger pieces to the display. Houston's is a table, with a top shaped like a flower in a light wood sitting on a dark ceramic base. She has received several public commissions and was an artist-in-residence in 1997 at The California African American Museum, where she also had a solo exhibit called "Metamorphosis." William Stranger shows one of his tables. He refers to his work as ecological artifacts, finely crafted objects that have as little impact on the environment as possible. He uses wood from certified well-managed forests, recycled lumber and pieces salvaged from cut street and field trees. His furniture is finished with nontoxic linseed or tung oil. Most recently, Stranger participated in the exhibition "Good Wood: Furniture & Objects from Sustainable Materials," which was on view at the Pasadena Museum of California Art, among other southern California venues. The Folk Tree Collection is located at 199 S. Fair Oaks Avenue, minutes walking distance from the Gold Line's Del Mar Station (and just fifteen minutes from down Los Angeles off the end of the 110 freeway) near the heart of Old Pasadena. Gallery hours are: M-W, 11-6; Th-Sat, 10-6; Sun, 12-5. For further information, contact Gail Mishkin at (626)793-4828. |
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