ELEMENTAL: Of Earth, Water, Air and Fire

Join us for the Last Thursday Artist Reception, April 30, 6 to 9pm!

ELEMENTAL

Porcelain and stoneware clay forms laid in a bed of dried organic combustibles from the garden and chicken yard are fired in an open pit and given over to the whims of flame. Each finished piece contains an entire world; many times, recognizable silhouettes and shadows of carbonized materials are captured in the clay.

Ceremonial paintings that draw on the ancient language of the elements - earth, air, fire and water embodied through symbolic human forms and ritual gestures. A sense of groundedness in composition and color palette anchors the figures with weight and stability, while a clear connection to emotion is evident in their openness and quiet intensity.

Ilse Coffman creates strong yet feminine figurative works on paper. Her primitive style comes about by using ink on a wet surface, resulting in the look of batik. The feminine imagery depicts ceremony and a timeless subject in a fresh and modern way.

In constant awe of the astonishing variety of earth’s geological and mineral manifestations, Carisa Miller re-forms and re-orders these essential elements toward her own artistic visions in what may be interpreted as a reverential practice or playing at nature.

ELEMENTAL brings together the work of Ilse and Carisa to represent humans in dialogue and ritual with the essence of the earth; a reminder that the elements in all their simplicity and complexity, alone and in combination, both conspire to provide all of our most basic needs and fill us with ceaseless wonder and admiration.

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