Tierra del Sol Gallery presents Ceramics Only! featuring Marlena Arthur, Kevin Bermudez, Lauren Geraths, Jenna Greene, Karen Goldstein, Aura Herrera, Jeremiah Keller, Abraham Khan, Michael LeVell, Ericka Lopez, Jackie Montes, John Peterson, Jeffrey Rinsky, and Angel Rodriguez.
Ceramics Only! highlights the breadth of ceramic works coming from the Tierra del Sol Upland and Sunland studios and is the first exhibition for several artists. Others, including Michael LeVell and Ericka Lopez, have been represented by Tierra del Sol in major solo exhibitions as well as at important fairs. Montes’ cats are beloved in Tierra’s growing community and Ceramics Only! gives new patrons an immersive introduction to the robust ceramics program that unites a diverse community of makers.
The exhibition extends the legacy of California ceramics, known for both the refined control of artists like Gertrud Natzler and the gestural raw dynamism of Peter Voulkos. The tactile nature of clay allows Tierra artists the freedom to express wide-ranging interests and imagery, from Goldstein’s sublime swan vase to Greene’s realistic turtle to Bermudez’s playful ninja figures. Ceramics Only! demonstrates that the medium is capable of holding form and function with meaningful works made from identity and emotion, as well as works made with the sole purpose of delighting the senses.
Artists from around the world have found a home in California ceramics, some escaping war, social and political confines or the monotony they found themselves mired in through other expressive genres. After a long career on the stage, Beatrice Wood discovered her passion for ceramics that enabled her to maintain a nearly 50-year career exploring her relationship to the medium. Some Tierra artists demonstrate the versatility of their aesthetic vision by rendering in ceramic ideas they have articulated in two dimensions. For example, Arthur’s rainbow-glazed works are extensions of her widely collected paintings and murals.
Ceramics Only! also shows the facility of the medium to convey a range of visual languages that expand the cultural purpose and practice of ceramics in the canon. Khan’s Boombox joyfully articulates his command
of the medium and the pleasure of making objects that reference the American vernacular that includes Rinsky’s Johnny Cash. Rodriguez’s practice highlights important landmarks that live in the global public imagination, including Big Ben and a race car track. And Herrera’s women – from mermaids to Bopeep – remind us that representation matters now more than ever.
These fourteen artists use clay body to experiment, innovate and communicate powerful as well as playful narratives and imagery. Ceramics Only! considers how artists who often work side by side can share a medium, yet with their own voice tell their own stories. Tierra del Sol Gallery is committed to amplifying the resonance of these works and all the artists’ intentions through the various exhibition opportunities we pursue.Ceramics Only! opens on January 11th, 2025 with a reception from 6-8 pm at Tierra del Sol Gallery in West Hollywood. The exhibition will be on view through March 1st, 2025.
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