This weekend I set out to see the work of Susanne Doremus at Zolla / Lieberman Gallery. I did see it and was interested in it, but I don’t want to talk about it. I want to speak of the work of another artist, Stephen De Staebler, whose sculpture was on display at the same gallery in a small room set off to the side.
Stephen De Staebler has been making work for decades (half a century actually) so I’ve struggled with how to pin down his work. It’s not devoid of historicism and seems to have some postmodern underpinnings. Based on what I now know of modernism, I’d classify it as such. Perhaps he’s even a remodernist. I dug around on his website and read some interviews to better understand how he talked about his fired clay sculptures specifically and his work in general. It was then that I stumbled upon this quote:
“You don't have to transform it into something else to find beauty. You have to burn through a lot of pretty work in order to love the gift of the clay - its randomness, its tendency to crack and warp. All the things that the perfectionists think are negative qualities are actually positive if you approach it from a different aesthetic.”
I don’t believe he’s saying anything particularly groundbreaking. Rather, he’s articulating the conversation I have in my head every time I pull out a canvas. What I love about making art is being able to just let go. Letting go is also what I find most difficult about making art.
Hej Mandy very interesting work and I love the quote you used in describing his work! And more importantly it is great that you found a connection with your process!
ReplyDeleteJust curious why did you change your mind about writing on the original artist? Are there any similarities between Doremus and DeStaebler works or are they totally different?