top of page
A Delicate Balance | Sculpture
January 11, 2024 – February 18, 2024
Artist Talk: Sunday, February 18, 2 pm
Curated by Jackie Hoysted and produced by Veronica Szalus, A Delicate Balance is an all-sculpture show that explores the idea of achieving equilibrium. Perhaps more than ever, today we have a greater awareness of how everything operates in such a delicate balance - be it ecosystems, politics, relationships or personal well-being. We must navigate life without tipping too much in one direction so that we can strive for harmony, but at times something radical is required to achieve it. The craft of making sculpture is no different. The sculptor balances their conceptual thought or ideation to material realization through careful molding, shaping and juxtaposition of often unlikely materials through to the selection of scale, color and presentation.
Featuring Works by:
Evie Altman and Marxe Orbach
Shanthi Chandrasekar
Akemi Maegawa
Ceci Cole McInturff
David Mordini
Sookkyung Park
Lisa Rosenstein
Jo Ellen Walker
Steve Wanna
Bat Houses (3)
Evie Altman and Marxe Orbach
Re-purposed wood, tree bark, acrylic, dye, resin, polyurethane
30” x 18” x 4” each
$500 each or all three for $1400
Today, bats are under unprecedented threat from widespread habitat destruction, accelerated climate change, invasive species, white nose syndrome, and other stresses. Without concerted international action, their populations will continue to fall, driving many species to extinction.
These three bat houses were designed with the help of Marxe Orbach, a bat biologist. Each house features an illustration of a bat common to the DMV area.
Unlike bird houses, successful bat houses have specific requirements. For instance, they should be caulked to prevent water from seeping in as well as incorporate vents and height so bats can move vertically to find their preferred temperatures through daily and seasonal cycles. The houses displayed in this exhibit will ultimately serve as nurseries for females and their offspring, and include: three roost chambers with access between each inside the house; furrows on the landing strip and compartment dividers so the mammals can cling with ease; an entrance from the bottom to prevent access by birds, mice, and parasites; and a recommended 3½ inches of space between roost dividers.
Bats are wonderful for helping to control mosquitos (one little bat can catch 1000 or more mosquito-sized insects in an hour), and their guano serves as a potent fertilizer. They pollinate many plants, including agave. I am hopeful that these working bat house sculptures can highlight bats’ importance to our natural world and serve as a conduit for human/bat interconnection.
Evie Altman
January 2024
__________________
Batcon.org
The Bat House Builder’s Handbook, rev 2013, Merlin Tuttle, Mark Kiser, Selena Kiser.
ibid
ibid
Re-purposed wood, tree bark, acrylic, dye, resin, polyurethane
30” x 18” x 4” each
$500 each or all three for $1400
Today, bats are under unprecedented threat from widespread habitat destruction, accelerated climate change, invasive species, white nose syndrome, and other stresses. Without concerted international action, their populations will continue to fall, driving many species to extinction.
These three bat houses were designed with the help of Marxe Orbach, a bat biologist. Each house features an illustration of a bat common to the DMV area.
Unlike bird houses, successful bat houses have specific requirements. For instance, they should be caulked to prevent water from seeping in as well as incorporate vents and height so bats can move vertically to find their preferred temperatures through daily and seasonal cycles. The houses displayed in this exhibit will ultimately serve as nurseries for females and their offspring, and include: three roost chambers with access between each inside the house; furrows on the landing strip and compartment dividers so the mammals can cling with ease; an entrance from the bottom to prevent access by birds, mice, and parasites; and a recommended 3½ inches of space between roost dividers.
Bats are wonderful for helping to control mosquitos (one little bat can catch 1000 or more mosquito-sized insects in an hour), and their guano serves as a potent fertilizer. They pollinate many plants, including agave. I am hopeful that these working bat house sculptures can highlight bats’ importance to our natural world and serve as a conduit for human/bat interconnection.
Evie Altman
January 2024
__________________
Batcon.org
The Bat House Builder’s Handbook, rev 2013, Merlin Tuttle, Mark Kiser, Selena Kiser.
ibid
ibid
Cosmic Vibrations - Gravitational Waves
Shanthi Chandrasekar
Metal rings and wire, felt cloth
55" x 75"
$12,000
Cosmic Vibrations - Gravitational Waves
The Cosmic Vibrations series was a response to being surrounded by the sounds of various musical instruments played by my family at home. I would try to visualize these sound waves all overlapping around me and this led me to make artwork inspired by waves of many kinds including the baryonic acoustic oscillations from the beginning of the universe to the extremely small gravitational waves produced by the merger of black holes and neutron stars.
The Gravitational Waves piece was inspired by the possible overlapping of gravitational waves produced by numerous cataclysmic events over space and time.
Metal rings and wire, felt cloth
55" x 75"
$12,000
Cosmic Vibrations - Gravitational Waves
The Cosmic Vibrations series was a response to being surrounded by the sounds of various musical instruments played by my family at home. I would try to visualize these sound waves all overlapping around me and this led me to make artwork inspired by waves of many kinds including the baryonic acoustic oscillations from the beginning of the universe to the extremely small gravitational waves produced by the merger of black holes and neutron stars.
The Gravitational Waves piece was inspired by the possible overlapping of gravitational waves produced by numerous cataclysmic events over space and time.
Cosmic Vibrations - Raining Gold
Shanthi Chandrasekar
(detail shot of artwork)
Metal rings and wire and monofilament
8' x 6' x 6'
$45,000
Cosmic Vibrations - Raining Gold
The Cosmic Vibrations series was a response to being surrounded by the sounds of various musical instruments played by my family at home. I would try to visualize these sound waves all overlapping around me and this led me to make artwork inspired by waves of many kinds including the baryonic acoustic oscillations from the beginning of the universe to the extremely small gravitational waves produced by the merger of black holes and neutron stars.
A kilonova is an astronomical event that happens when two neutron stars merge, producing gravitational waves and forging heavy elements like gold. The thought that the gold we wear must have rained from some such event that could have occurred billions of years ago inspired the Raining Gold installation.
(detail shot of artwork)
Metal rings and wire and monofilament
8' x 6' x 6'
$45,000
Cosmic Vibrations - Raining Gold
The Cosmic Vibrations series was a response to being surrounded by the sounds of various musical instruments played by my family at home. I would try to visualize these sound waves all overlapping around me and this led me to make artwork inspired by waves of many kinds including the baryonic acoustic oscillations from the beginning of the universe to the extremely small gravitational waves produced by the merger of black holes and neutron stars.
A kilonova is an astronomical event that happens when two neutron stars merge, producing gravitational waves and forging heavy elements like gold. The thought that the gold we wear must have rained from some such event that could have occurred billions of years ago inspired the Raining Gold installation.
Small Sculpture Series
Akemi Maegawa
Stoneware, fabric, Japanese handmade paper (porcelain, button, thread, metal wire in some works)
Variable sizes
Inquire about pricing
Courtesy of Adah Rose Gallery
“Small Sculpture Series”
Clay has been my medium to make various sculptures in the last twenty years. But I also often used fabric in my artworks by sewing, stitching, needling, or gluing, depending on what I wanted to express through the work.
When I learned the possibility of making a shape with fabric by molding it over a form and heating it, my imagination kicked into overdrive.
It was perfect timing to challenge new forms and combinations of ceramic and fabric right after the everyday cooking during the COVID isolation.
Instead of finding new cooking recipes, I started to make the “Small Sculpture Series.” I fired the ceramic part of the sculpture in my studio and “baked” the fabric part of the sculpture at home every day. Combined fabric and clay sculptures reminded me of beloved Wagashi (Japanese traditional sweets).
This series is a little bit of nostalgic celebration and joy of life for me as an artist here at home yet far away from home.
As "the art is in the eye of the beholder," I cannot let you touch or eat my Wagashi-like small sculptures, but hopefully, everyone can find something interesting, eye-pleasing, enjoyable, and even "tasty" while looking at them.
Stoneware, fabric, Japanese handmade paper (porcelain, button, thread, metal wire in some works)
Variable sizes
Inquire about pricing
Courtesy of Adah Rose Gallery
“Small Sculpture Series”
Clay has been my medium to make various sculptures in the last twenty years. But I also often used fabric in my artworks by sewing, stitching, needling, or gluing, depending on what I wanted to express through the work.
When I learned the possibility of making a shape with fabric by molding it over a form and heating it, my imagination kicked into overdrive.
It was perfect timing to challenge new forms and combinations of ceramic and fabric right after the everyday cooking during the COVID isolation.
Instead of finding new cooking recipes, I started to make the “Small Sculpture Series.” I fired the ceramic part of the sculpture in my studio and “baked” the fabric part of the sculpture at home every day. Combined fabric and clay sculptures reminded me of beloved Wagashi (Japanese traditional sweets).
This series is a little bit of nostalgic celebration and joy of life for me as an artist here at home yet far away from home.
As "the art is in the eye of the beholder," I cannot let you touch or eat my Wagashi-like small sculptures, but hopefully, everyone can find something interesting, eye-pleasing, enjoyable, and even "tasty" while looking at them.
Pain is a Kind of Wisdom, Maybe
Ceci Cole McInturff
Crepe Myrtle, calligraphy ink, horsehair on steel
6'8” H x 10' W x 4' D
$700
Pain is a Kind of Wisdom, Maybe
Joy and suffering, hope and fear, beauty and depravity, awakenings amid damage - contrasts which coexist on the planet, and within any human being.
How to reconcile our own as well as others’ pain…
How to navigate anger and deep discouragement…
How to recognize and reflect back the very real moments of light, grace, regeneration or compassion amid so much that is not…
How to stay lovingly sane?
Each question is a delicate balance, and a challenge. There is courage and wisdom in attempting them.
Artist Statement
I make cross-media sculpture, outdoor installation, hand-formed paper and sculptural book objects, chiefly working with organic ephemera – plant and animal material – using few synthetics or technology.
These formerly living materials often provoke, arrest or ground viewers. They imply value in the unadorned and impermanent, present a raw alternative beauty, and can speak to the naturalness in death.
Sculpture made using organic ephemera also can be interpreted as hopeful, suggesting that nature's unlikely but useful collaborations and integrations may be useful toward a human joining and healing.
Crepe Myrtle, calligraphy ink, horsehair on steel
6'8” H x 10' W x 4' D
$700
Pain is a Kind of Wisdom, Maybe
Joy and suffering, hope and fear, beauty and depravity, awakenings amid damage - contrasts which coexist on the planet, and within any human being.
How to reconcile our own as well as others’ pain…
How to navigate anger and deep discouragement…
How to recognize and reflect back the very real moments of light, grace, regeneration or compassion amid so much that is not…
How to stay lovingly sane?
Each question is a delicate balance, and a challenge. There is courage and wisdom in attempting them.
Artist Statement
I make cross-media sculpture, outdoor installation, hand-formed paper and sculptural book objects, chiefly working with organic ephemera – plant and animal material – using few synthetics or technology.
These formerly living materials often provoke, arrest or ground viewers. They imply value in the unadorned and impermanent, present a raw alternative beauty, and can speak to the naturalness in death.
Sculpture made using organic ephemera also can be interpreted as hopeful, suggesting that nature's unlikely but useful collaborations and integrations may be useful toward a human joining and healing.
dododada
David Mordini
(detail shot of artwork)
3d prints, feathers, found objects
63” x 15” x 15”
$8000
Artist Statement:
Mordini creates social commentary through object-based installation art. The artist is inspired by punk, dark humor, camp and posthumanism.
(detail shot of artwork)
3d prints, feathers, found objects
63” x 15” x 15”
$8000
Artist Statement:
Mordini creates social commentary through object-based installation art. The artist is inspired by punk, dark humor, camp and posthumanism.
The Moon
Sookkyung Park
Origami, spray paint
32" × 32"× 10"(H)
$8,000
The Moon
Artist Statement:
I consider the principles of Buddhism and Confucius and celebrate the power and beauty of nature and its elements, as well as the meditative nature of repetition. The cultural background that expressed the mystery of the moon in various ways became the driving force behind the creation of this work. I began folding countless pieces of paper to express the mysterious changes of the moon in physical form and to calm my mind through repetition.
Origami, spray paint
32" × 32"× 10"(H)
$8,000
The Moon
Artist Statement:
I consider the principles of Buddhism and Confucius and celebrate the power and beauty of nature and its elements, as well as the meditative nature of repetition. The cultural background that expressed the mystery of the moon in various ways became the driving force behind the creation of this work. I began folding countless pieces of paper to express the mysterious changes of the moon in physical form and to calm my mind through repetition.
The Sun
Sookkyung Park
Origami, spray paint
31" × 31" × 8"(H)
$8,000
The Sun
Artist Statement:
As a child, I lived in a house where the windows and floors in the rooms were made of paper. I also spent much of my childhood folding paper, making kites and flying them in the sky. Naturally, I chose paper as the concept of the work. Paper is a material that has both softness and strength. It is my point of view to use these material characteristics of paper to express ideas and philosophies realized beyond nature, people, and culture.
In my current body of works, I explore the topic of connection between people by folding thousands of small pieces of paper that are bound tightly creating a connected and unified structure. To express this, the unique softness of paper was emphasized and the sun, a form of nature, was expressed in intense colors.
Origami, spray paint
31" × 31" × 8"(H)
$8,000
The Sun
Artist Statement:
As a child, I lived in a house where the windows and floors in the rooms were made of paper. I also spent much of my childhood folding paper, making kites and flying them in the sky. Naturally, I chose paper as the concept of the work. Paper is a material that has both softness and strength. It is my point of view to use these material characteristics of paper to express ideas and philosophies realized beyond nature, people, and culture.
In my current body of works, I explore the topic of connection between people by folding thousands of small pieces of paper that are bound tightly creating a connected and unified structure. To express this, the unique softness of paper was emphasized and the sun, a form of nature, was expressed in intense colors.
Blooming II
Sookkyung Park
Traditional paper, thread
43" × 43" × 62"(H)
$8,000
Blooming II
Artist Statement:
I believe that one small seed is the source, from which a new living organism is born. This work was created to convey the notion that we always live with hope and our lives will bear abundant fruit just as the roots of a plant grow endlessly. Using white traditional paper, viewers can clearly see how the paper textures are interconnected. This is to show how the roots of a tree are connected to each other.
Traditional paper, thread
43" × 43" × 62"(H)
$8,000
Blooming II
Artist Statement:
I believe that one small seed is the source, from which a new living organism is born. This work was created to convey the notion that we always live with hope and our lives will bear abundant fruit just as the roots of a plant grow endlessly. Using white traditional paper, viewers can clearly see how the paper textures are interconnected. This is to show how the roots of a tree are connected to each other.
Flow
Lisa Rosenstein
Recycled plastics
8' x 13'
$8500
We all know where we came from
do we know where we are going?
like a feather on the wind
like a cloud floating by
like the moment before sleep
let it all go
just flow
Recycled plastics
8' x 13'
$8500
We all know where we came from
do we know where we are going?
like a feather on the wind
like a cloud floating by
like the moment before sleep
let it all go
just flow
Among Women
Jo Ellen Walker
Clay, encaustic, and mixed media
Approximately 28” H x 20” W
$2,900
My work is about the intergenerational history of my family and I tell that story on a platform of ceramic vessels. I have chosen the form of a vessel as a metaphor for the feminine and as a repository for our memories. Through these memory vessels, I explore the many layers of family memories, and in the end, reveal who I am as witnessed through my roots. The layers portray a story of the secrets, the shadow, and the revealed, telling a tale of loss as well as love.
In Among Women, I have formed three individual ceramic vessels finished with underglaze. The medium of encaustic allows me to further layer my vessels with images of family. The wax allows me to utilize photo transfers, pan pastels, and wax crayons to liven the surface. Each piece has 20 to 25 layers of wax bonded together with a torch.
Clay, encaustic, and mixed media
Approximately 28” H x 20” W
$2,900
My work is about the intergenerational history of my family and I tell that story on a platform of ceramic vessels. I have chosen the form of a vessel as a metaphor for the feminine and as a repository for our memories. Through these memory vessels, I explore the many layers of family memories, and in the end, reveal who I am as witnessed through my roots. The layers portray a story of the secrets, the shadow, and the revealed, telling a tale of loss as well as love.
In Among Women, I have formed three individual ceramic vessels finished with underglaze. The medium of encaustic allows me to further layer my vessels with images of family. The wax allows me to utilize photo transfers, pan pastels, and wax crayons to liven the surface. Each piece has 20 to 25 layers of wax bonded together with a torch.
Alice's Barn
Jo Ellen Walker
Clay, encaustic, and mixed media
Approximately 29” H x 15” W
$1,600
My work is about my memories, and I tell these stories on a platform of ceramic vessels. I have chosen the form of a vessel as a metaphor for the feminine and as a repository for our memories. Through these memory vessels, I explore the many layers of family and childhood memories, and in the end, reveal who I am as witnessed through my roots. The layers portray a story of the secrets, the shadow, and the revealed, telling a tale of loss as well as love.
In Alice’s Barn, I recall the childhood fun I had with my best friend on her farm next door. The barn was a favorite hiding place away from adults where we could share our dreams and secrets. Alice recently died, and the pink flowers on the finial are a reminder of the fragility of life.
Here I have formed three individual ceramic vessels finished with underglaze and a milk-based paint. I have then utilized the medium of encaustic which allows me to further layer my vessels with different visual representations. I have also used photo transfers, pan-pastels, and wax crayons to liven the surface. Each piece has 20 to 25 layers of wax bonded together with a torch.
Clay, encaustic, and mixed media
Approximately 29” H x 15” W
$1,600
My work is about my memories, and I tell these stories on a platform of ceramic vessels. I have chosen the form of a vessel as a metaphor for the feminine and as a repository for our memories. Through these memory vessels, I explore the many layers of family and childhood memories, and in the end, reveal who I am as witnessed through my roots. The layers portray a story of the secrets, the shadow, and the revealed, telling a tale of loss as well as love.
In Alice’s Barn, I recall the childhood fun I had with my best friend on her farm next door. The barn was a favorite hiding place away from adults where we could share our dreams and secrets. Alice recently died, and the pink flowers on the finial are a reminder of the fragility of life.
Here I have formed three individual ceramic vessels finished with underglaze and a milk-based paint. I have then utilized the medium of encaustic which allows me to further layer my vessels with different visual representations. I have also used photo transfers, pan-pastels, and wax crayons to liven the surface. Each piece has 20 to 25 layers of wax bonded together with a torch.
Transient Incandescence
Steve Wanna
(detail shot of artwork)
Clear acrylic tubes and vessels, audio gear, sound, water, and sunlight
Size Variable
NFS
Transient Incandescence is a site-specific installation that uses sound and water to animate the natural light in the space. The physicality of sound—vibrations in air and other mediums—is made visible by the water as ripples on the surface, which then interacts with the light to create moving reflections and shadows on the various surfaces in the space.
A lot of my work is inspired by systems theory and emergence, and this installation functions as an ecosystem. Systems can be closed to the outside, open, or some combination of both. Transient Incandescence fits in the last category as it exists in a delicate and precarious balance, both internally and externally. Internally, the sounds operate independently from the surrounding environment. If they are too quiet, the water will not visibly move, and if they’re too loud, the surface will become too turbulent: the effect will be lost and ultimately the components would destroy themselves.
This balance is maintained internally and accounted for in the creation of the sound material, which depends on the various resonant frequencies of the acrylic surfaces, the shapes of the water vessels, and the amount of water contained in each. The sound material is carefully calibrated to ebb and flow and create ripples in the water at unexpected intervals, which means there will be times where the installation will appear to be completely dormant.
Externally, the work comes to full life only with the presence of natural light in the space, which is obviously entirely independent. This collaborative dance between the work and its environment is central to this installation, and to my work more broadly. While we may perceive patterns and alignments, the two are moving in parallel paths whose interactions are unplanned, purely emergent, and entirely non-repeating.
(detail shot of artwork)
Clear acrylic tubes and vessels, audio gear, sound, water, and sunlight
Size Variable
NFS
Transient Incandescence is a site-specific installation that uses sound and water to animate the natural light in the space. The physicality of sound—vibrations in air and other mediums—is made visible by the water as ripples on the surface, which then interacts with the light to create moving reflections and shadows on the various surfaces in the space.
A lot of my work is inspired by systems theory and emergence, and this installation functions as an ecosystem. Systems can be closed to the outside, open, or some combination of both. Transient Incandescence fits in the last category as it exists in a delicate and precarious balance, both internally and externally. Internally, the sounds operate independently from the surrounding environment. If they are too quiet, the water will not visibly move, and if they’re too loud, the surface will become too turbulent: the effect will be lost and ultimately the components would destroy themselves.
This balance is maintained internally and accounted for in the creation of the sound material, which depends on the various resonant frequencies of the acrylic surfaces, the shapes of the water vessels, and the amount of water contained in each. The sound material is carefully calibrated to ebb and flow and create ripples in the water at unexpected intervals, which means there will be times where the installation will appear to be completely dormant.
Externally, the work comes to full life only with the presence of natural light in the space, which is obviously entirely independent. This collaborative dance between the work and its environment is central to this installation, and to my work more broadly. While we may perceive patterns and alignments, the two are moving in parallel paths whose interactions are unplanned, purely emergent, and entirely non-repeating.
Artist Catalogue
click on photo for artist statement
bottom of page