Material Magic: Six Sculptors Create Celebrates the Diversity of Bronze Sculpture
Lloyd Schermer, “Falling Type,” Antique Wood Type Sculpture.A new exhibition at the Ann Korologos Gallery, located in Basalt, Colorado, brings together some of North America's most diverse bronze and mixed media artists for a fresh look at traditional and contemporary sculpture.
Material Magic: Six Sculptors Create, on view through September 8, spotlights six notable American sculptors using Western themes in bronze, ceramic, wood and glass. The show includes works by Veryl Goodnight, Gordon Gund, Neil Clifford, Amy Laugesen, Lloyd Schermer, and Immi Storrs.
Colorado artist Veryl Goodnight’s work reflects deep affection for animals, capturing both their power and beauty. She works from life, resulting in a visible intimacy with her subject matter.
"Having a living, breathing model nearby provides information that a thousand photos can’t convey," explains Goodnight. Her work has been placed in private and public collections throughout the world. Among her most notable achievements is a seven-ton bronze monument, The Day The Wall Came Down, commissioned for the George Bush Presidential Library in Texas, with a second casting on exhibit at the Allied Museum in Berlin.
Gordon Gund, born in Ohio, educated in Massachusetts, has worked in bronze, wood, and clay for more than three decades. A six-foot version of his work, Flukes, is in the permanent collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Grounds for Sculpture, and the Cleveland Arts & Medicine Institute. Although Gund lost his sight in 1970 from retinitis pigmentosa, his sculpting process results in elegant forms and highly polished surfaces which are a delight to touch and behold.
“Sculpting keeps me in touch with the world," he says. "I visualize the images, how they look from different angles, in motion, and their visual expression”
Toronto-based Neil Clifford sculpts in bronze and stone, creating one-of-a-kind works that reflect his deep appreciation of nature.
“I believe the quality of our lives is enhanced by surrounding ourselves with art that stimulates the senses every time one engages with the work.” His work is collected internationally by both corporate and private art enthusiasts.
Lloyd Schermer, an honorary trustee of The Anderson Ranch Art Center and a lifetime trustee of The Aspen Institute, began his joinery into the art world decades ago. As a newspaper publisher he was inspired by the metal and wood type that surrounded him, and soon transformed these materials into his signature style of sculptures and monotypes.
Neil Clifford, Silent Wanderer, Bronze and Granite.New York-based artist Immi C. Storrs is best known for her powerful and imaginative sculptures in bonded bronze, often featuring characters from the animal kingdom. Her work is highly stylized and playful in manner. “My work is different because I do mostly animals,” she explains, “You can tell what they are, whether it’s a bird or a cow or horse, but the horse may have four heads and four tails!” The versatile artist creates both large-scale outdoor and smaller, more intimate interior works in a variety of media. Her work has been praised and exhibited throughout the U.S., including at the White House in Washington, D.C. She is also been the recipient of many awards, including the Speyer Prize from the National Academy and the National Sculpture Society prize.
Sculptor Amy Laugesen is based in Englewood, CO. Her bronze and ceramic abstracted horses reflect a deep connection with the equine race.
“As a metaphor, the horse symbolizes power, grace, nobility, strength, endurance and freedom," she says. Her large-scale commissions are in public collections throughout the Rocky Mountain Region.
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Also in this Issue:
- Silicon Bronze and the Visionary Behind Company K
- From the Village to Vogue: The Modernist Jewelry of Copper Artist Art Smith
- Copper Elements: Continuing The Family Legacy of Beautiful Flame Painting
- Form Meets Function for Copper Furniture Artist TJ Volonis
- Material Magic: Six Sculptors Create Celebrates the Diversity of Bronze Sculpture