Evolution of Shell Dweller is up and running for the whole month of June. It is so much fun to see visitors dwell in the big shell! You still have time to step into the aquatic universe and add your presence to the wall of polaroids. I hope to see you at the closing reception where I will elaborate on the origin stories behind my work!
Closing Reception: June 29th, 4 – 7pm
Artist talk at 5pm
Show runs June 1st – 30th
1251 Solano Ave, Albany CA 94706
Phone: 510.526.9558
I am very excited to put together work from the past several years, showing my process of creating my mythical creatures, the Shell Dwellers. Below is a statement about the pieces. I hope to see you at the opening next month!
opening reception: June 8, 5-7pm
show runs June 1-30
1251 Solano Ave., Albany CA 94706
Phone: 510.526.9558
I started the Shell Dweller series in 2010. They grew out of a preoccupation with constant catastrophes and disasters around the world. I felt as if I would like to hide in my own shell to be safe. My first Shell Dwellers were pale and minimal in color palette. The symbols on their surfaces developed a visual narrative, communicating their personal myths and identities, their adventures through labyrinths and deserts, their encounters with other strange creatures.
Later, as I mustered hope, my Shell Dwellers started to emerge from their homes. Their heads would still stay inside the shells, so as not be disturbed by the constant negativity of news media. Instead, they were tuning to their inner essence. Listening to the rhythm of their own organism, their skin developed new kinds of imagery. Their surfaces brightened up with colorful glazes, underglazes, custom made decals, and intricate China painting. Reminiscent of photographs slowly developing in the dark room, misty surfaces hinted at hidden layers.
By 2014 my Shell Dwellers completely lost their shells and moved to bathtubs to escape the frenzy and chaos. I called them Escapists. Tuning into the feminine element of water, they also immerse themselves in emotion, purification, intuition, the subconscious, and the mysteries of the self. The instruments of their immersion–books and digital devices–offered them a gateway to another reality. The surfaces of bathtubs and their bodies continued to hint at their inner existence, to depict the places of their fantasy and poetry of the books they read, to flash fleeting dreams.
Most recently I have been exploring glass blowing as a technique to incorporate translucent elements into my figures. The Shell Dwellers have transformed into Knights of Flowers and Clouds, whose armor is similarly protective yet they are less vulnerable and more active. Instead of simply hiding and ignoring their surroundings, these armored figures have set out on a quest for saving the ones in need, for beauty and poetry.
Spring is finally here and things are heating up in the studio! Enjoy the long days and I hope they are filled with lots of beautiful art. Here are some current exhibitions where you can find my work. Let me know if you stop by!
Small Works, A Look Back and Forward
celebrates 4 years of exhibitions at Abrams Claghorn Gallery. Glad to be part of this show’s delightful collection of small works.
Reception: April 13, 5-7 pm
Exhibition: April 3 – 30, 2019
Heated Expression: Clay and Glass from ACGA
Reception: April 5, 7-9pm
Exhibition: April 5 – May 4
As a member of the Association of Clay and Glass Artists of California, I am happy to be included into this show along with 8 other wonderful clay and glass artists.
Teapots!13
One of my first clay/glass pieces will be at this annual show. So many whimsical and innovative interpretations of the classic vessel will be on display.
Blue Line Arts Third Annual International Ceramic Art Competition
Opening Reception:
April 20, 5-8:30 pm
Exhibition: April 5 – May 18
Unspoken Sorrows was chosen to be in this great collection of ceramic objects at Blue Line Arts, a sweet gallery just outside of Sacramento.
more info
I am very happy to have two of my sculptures in this important show, Sculpture Now, at the Peninsula Museum of Art in Burlingame, CA. It comes down next weekend so go visit soon!
Peninsula Museum of Art
1777 California Drive
Burlingame, CA 94010
650.692.2101
This exhibition presents works by 25 Pacific Rim Sculptors focusing on serious social or environmental issues challenging our country and planet and resulting in humanitarian crises: pollutants damage our atmosphere to the point of extreme climate change, fires, crop failures; insecticides and industrial wastes poison our land and waterways; and discarded plastic chokes our oceans and kills already over-fished marine life. Scarce resources lead to strife. Borders close to desperate, asylum-seeking refugees and children are torn from their parents. In these times of unprecedented and rapid change, artists’ voices need to be heard more than ever.
JUROR:
Brigitte Micmacker, Owner of Sculpturesite Gallery (previously A New Leaf Gallery), has owned and operated galleries for 28 years and counting.
I am very excited to announce my upcoming workshop in Ojai, CA at the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts! I will be demonstrating and leading students through an exploration of personal iconography to create ceramic sculptures which reflect the unique qualities of each maker. The workshop will be held in beautiful Ojai, California, an idyllic nature space, which inevitably inspires a nourishing and centering spirit within everyone. The Beatrice Wood Center is a great museum, gallery, workshop and library space, transformed from the former studio and abode of Beatrice Wood, an artist said to be the Mama of Dada. She was a great experimenter, with inexhaustible curiosity and wonder and I am looking forward to channeling this wonderful energy in September!
Saturday & Sunday, September 15 & 16, 2018
11:00 am – 4:00 pm
Cost $275. per person ($250. for members)
Includes a light vegetarian lunch
Registration is open and there are still a few spots left. Reserve your space today!
http://www.beatricewood.com/workshops/surrealist_totems.html
I am happy to announce I will be part of a great group show at Abrams Claghorn Gallery in September! The show’s title “Call Me What You Want” reflects the idea that all the categories and classifications out there are really arbitrary constructs. The show focuses on works which strip away the unnecessary and reveal the core of what we all share.
My pieces, Heavenly 100 and One With the Source, will be shown.
I hope to see you at the opening on Saturday, September 16th, 5-7pm!
Show Dates: September 3 – 30, 2017
1251 Solano Ave. Albany CA 94706 – (510) 526 9558
http://abramsclaghorn.com/call-me-what-you-want
Here is a bit more about each of the works:
Heavenly 100
I was born and raised in Kiev, Ukraine. I emigrated to the United States to escape the effects of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Although I have been living in the United States for over 20 years, I still feel a strong connection to the city of my birth. It hurts me to see what is happening in my native country.
Ukraine is going through one of the most blood-soaked times in its nearly 25-year history as an independent nation. In the fall and winter of 2013–2014, more than one hundred civilian protesters were killed. Most of them were shot by snipers from behind police lines. But Ukrainians do not call their dead comrades “victims.” Instead, they call them “heroes” or the “Heavenly Hundred” and believe that the lives of these people will change the country for the better.
I dedicate the Heavenly Hundred installation to the memory of the heroes who sacrificed their lives during the Euromaidan protests. Each little bird with a face on it symbolizes the soul of the hero. Together they are flying skyward, reminding us of their immortal spirits.
I am sad such cruel events are happening in Ukraine and it is hard to believe that so many people died in a European country in the 21st century. But I am also very proud of my nation and I think the Ukrainian people deserve the positive changes that their thoughts and actions have set in motion.
I am so honored my sculpture “Alice: Positive Anxiety” received the Best in Show award in the 4th Clay & Glass Biennial competition at Brea Gallery! Thank you to the Association of Clay and Glass Artists of California for organizing this show. It is an amazing exhibition, stop by if you are in the area!
Show runs: July 22 – September 15, 2017
1 Civic Center Circle, Brea, CA 92821
