Nature, Sculpture, Abstraction, and Clay

Last week I received some gratifying news in the form of a very positive review of the Museum of Fine Art, Boston’s current exhibition, Nature, Sculpture, Abstraction, and Clay: One Hundred Years of American Ceramics. Sebastian Smee, writing for the Boston Globe, reviewed the show, which presents gifts from the Daphne Farago Collection and the Philip Aarons and Shelley Fox Aarons Collection, in addition to other new acquisitions.

In a show of more than 70 pieces, several artists represented by the Frank Lloyd Gallery were singled out for praise. For example, while describing Adrian Saxe’s 1989 work Float/Aloft, Smee writes that, “Purely formal and aesthetic concerns were overtaken by a new sense of self-aware play, extending into the realms of language, pop culture, and politics.” Ken Price and Ralph Bacerra are also identified as artists of particular stature, represented by works engaged in creative dialogue with the historical pieces on display.

The review closes with the MFA Boston’s newly acquired work by Cheryl Ann Thomas, December. Calling it “A highlight — and a great note to end on,” Smee goes on to say that the piece “is truly something to behold.”

Cheryl Ann Thomas: Hap

As I mentioned in my last post, the artist Cheryl Ann Thomas will be opening a solo exhibition at Danese Corey Gallery in New York on Friday, November 21st, 2014. The exhibition, titled Hap, will present Cheryl’s hand-coiled and pinched porcelain sculptures. After building tall, vertical cylinders of clay, Cheryl allows her pieces to collapse unpredictably in the kiln, creating works of haunting, graceful delicacy.

It has been a pleasure collaborating with Danese Corey Gallery on this show. As the opening day draws near, their staff produced an exhibition catalogue, which can be viewed online or purchased as a traditional publication. The catalogue includes beautiful color images of Cheryl’s work and a studio portrait by Donna Granata.

Hap will be on view at the Danese Corey Gallery November 21, 2014 – December 20, 2014. If you will be in New York, I encourage you to take advantage of the opportunity to see these works in person.

A Busy Season for Cheryl Ann Thomas

One of the most rewarding aspects of working with artists over time is the opportunity to witness the development of their work, and help them to grow professionally and creatively. Cheryl Ann Thomas joined the gallery in 2006, and I’ve enjoyed watching the evolution of her work since then.

This fall is shaping up to be a busy season for Cheryl, with lots of exciting news. I’m happy to announce that the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, has recently acquired a work of hers titled December, 2009-2013. Museum placements are an important part of the work we do here at the gallery, and Cheryl’s work is now represented at 13 major institutions in the United States and Canada.

Cheryl will also be presenting work in her first solo exhibition in New York at the Danese Corey Gallery.  The show, titled Hap, will be on view from November 21 – December 20, 2014. In her artist’s statement, Cheryl writes “Change comes slowly. The forms were singular for six years before I began grouping them. I worked only in black, white and gray for ten years. The new interest in subtle color represents a relaxation of the adherence to pure process and a move toward the intuitive.”

Artists Inspiring Writers

When a writer is moved by a particular artist’s work, their writing seems to flow from them naturally. The artist currently on display at the gallery, Cheryl Ann Thomas, has been the inspiration for some evocative art writing. This doesn’t surprise me at all, as her work is open to interpretation as it draws you in.

Here are two of my favorite quotes about Cheryl Ann Thomas:

Writing for Art in America in 2009, Constance Mallinson described Cheryl’s work: “Although completely useless as vessels, the resulting forms are exquisite and very delicate, richly open-ended in their associations. Often suggesting organic forms like hives, cocoons, seashells, eggs, husks, and seedpods, the pieces are, due to their monochromatic coloration, just as likely to evoke artifacts uncovered at archeological sites.”1

More recently, Elaine Levin wrote an insightful review for Ceramics: Art and Perception and commented on a specific piece, seen here. She noted that “The rhythmical swirl of the frayed and tattered strands creates open spaces for unexpected lightness. At the same time, the sculpture is the embodiment of fragility and vulnerability.”2

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1 Mallinson, Constance, “Cheryl Ann Thomas,” Art in America, (March 2009): 154.

2 Levine, Elaine, “Fragility and Loss,” Ceramics: Art and Perception no. 85 (2011): 30.