Audry Cramblit ~ Labyrinth

I arrived at the studio of Audry Cramblit [and Ted Preuss] shortly after ten o'clock this morning. Being familiar with Cramblit's past sculptural work, I scheduled a studio visit to experience the most recent pieces from a body of work titled "Labyrinth". As I entered the space, I was confronted with a three-quarter life-size clay figure, adorned with patterns and textures similar to a dimensional body mehndi. As we hovered over the beautiful reclining figure, I learned a little more about Cramblit's creative process and discussed the conceptual meaning of the work. The title—Labyrinth—references the elaborate designs Cramblit uses to embellish her intimate forms. She elaborates on her web site... "The ancient pattern of the labyrinth weaves and circles into itself and then back out again... [it] is a meandering but purposeful journey toward self-reinvention; [The work is] a sculptural expression, not only of my personal voyage as an artist but also... an affirmation that we are on our right path."

Not all of Cramblit's pieces are almost life size. In fact, many of the pieces stand only 12-14 inches high... and the ornate details are amazing. Cramblit works both in clay as well as wax. Many of the pieces are cast in bronze [as additions or one-offs] adorning beautiful patinas. Audry Cramblit's work will be presented at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago, this fall. Until then, you can explore additional imagery on her web site: audryc.com
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An Interesting Distraction

Obviously, I'm very interested in textures and surfaces. It has become the content of my current work. Well, while being redirected through a business park to enter the parking lot of the Lincolnwood Lowes, I found myself distracted by a sculpture. I was in a hurry, so I reluctantly passed it by... did my shopping and headed off to my next errand. But the piece stuck in my head. The  following week, I found myself back at the Lowes nursery [I have a thing for garden centers] but this time, I stopped. I parked my car, crossed the street and went over to get a closer look at the work. 

The surface is quiet wonderful. It's made up of large aluminum rods which seem to be bunched together to create the intended shape. As I approached the sculpture, I thought it was an abstraction based on a torso. But after seeing the title, it was clear that the work is more conceptual then abstract. The artist is Josh Garber and the piece is titled "Tug" from 2006. From the Robert Steele Gallery website, Garber explains...

"My work is about interpreting gestures through mappings of coordinates. It is ... influenced by digital pixilation which dissects images with thousands of dots. Similarly, I use thousands of aluminum bars to map and then construct each piece."

You can find more of Garber's work at the Zolla/Lieberman Gallery in Chicago or at the Robert Steele Gallery in New York.