Tag Archives: Artists

Local Landscape

If you are intrigued by ceramics, you don’t have to wait until Forever for an engaging exhibit.

Cary Esser’s Lay of the Land at the Sherry Leedy Gallery (here in town) is another exploration of permanence and change.

In this exhibit Esser, Ceramics Chair at the Kansas City Art Institute, explores the relationship of clay to human history and shelter.

She has created these tiles by pushing clay into molds; the glazes are beautiful, though I haven’t really captured them here. The groupings suggest topography and landscape (and cityscape, too, I think.) While numbered to ease recreation of the installation, I am intrigued by the thought that they could be manipulated by the viewer. It seems an interesting manifestation of the artist’s intent and the viewer’s perception. Also, it’s always fun to build with blocks.
You can see Cary Esser’s Lay of the Land at the Sherry Leedy Gallery of Contemporary Art through October 30th.
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Forever

As I savor Freedom, I am also anticipating Forever. Forever is Clare Twomey’s first solo exhibit in the United States, opening at the Nelson-Atkins Museum October 9th.


Twomey had been in Kansas City visiting the ceramics department at the Kansas City Art Institute when she had the opportunity to view the Burnap Collection of English ceramics. The collection, 1345 pieces, is the largest outside of England.

One of the things that intrigued Twomey was the permanence of the Burnaps’ gift, “in trust forever.” Which brings to the forefront of our minds the significance of the intent of the gift coupled with the fragility of the pieces themselves.

If you are familiar with Twomey’s work (I was not), you know that several of her exhibits have been interactive. Consciousness/Conscience, above, was an installation involving 7000 hollow cast bone china tiles created to be destroyed.

Trophy included 4000 Wedgwood Jasper Blue clay birds scattered about Clay Courts that were taken by the audience.

And, Blossom was comprised of thousands of fragile ceramic flowers left to decompose out of doors.
Forever, too, allows the audience to interject itself into the exhibit. Twomey will install 1345 scaled-down replicas of an 18th century caudle cup from the Burnap collection at the Nelson. Visitors will have the opportunity to apply for ownership of one of the pieces. Each cup will be unique and numbered and the applicants must choose a specific cup in their requests. It’s interesting to consider the responsibility the owners will have to their cups as the Nelson has had to the Collection. The cups will go home with their new caretakers when the exhibit closes January 2nd.
Top three images courtesy of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art; remaining images courtesy of claretwomey.com.
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Davey Gant

A couple of readers have asked about commissioning portraits from Davey Gant (whom I mentioned in a previous posts here.) Gant’s portraits range from $500 – 1500 depending on the size and the specifications of the client. Sittings can last from twenty minutes to two hours; Gant is happy to work from photos as well.

You can see more of his work and contact the artist at his site here.
Image from daveygant.com.
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Portrait

Mr. Blandings and I went to First Fridays last week. First Fridays is our monthly art walk and the Crossroads District was teeming with people.

It took a little patience to park and see and eat, but it was worth it.

We made a point to go see David Gant’s show at the Leedy-Voulkos Art Center. It’s a terrific display of many familiar local faces. Gant went on a binge in January completed over one hundred pieces.

The show runs through August; the gallery is open Thursday – Saturday 11 – 5, First Fridays 6 – 9 and by appointment.
Leedy-Voulkos Art Center
2010 Baltimore Avenue
Kansas City, MO 64108
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It’s All Here in Black and White

I was visiting with a friend recently and she mentioned that she’d like to update a traditional room. Make it a little fresher. A little younger. At the same time, she didn’t want it to look trendy or trying-too-hard.

I’ve always like the use of architectural prints.

Clean. Crisp. Graphic.

But I suggested using photographs instead. To give it a little bit of an edge. I wonder if that is what Bruno de Caumont has done above. With the rosette? It could be a drawing, of course.

Local photographer, Keith Davis, has stunning pieces capturing the architecture of many state capitals.

I’m not sure he’s photographed them all (and I guess I’m too lazy to find out) but it would be great to choose images from capitals that mean something to you. Or not, because I’m crazy about the first one here and I have absolutely no connection to Arkansas.
Images from top, Michael Smith, Houses, photography uncredited. I’m pretty sure this is right; no photo credit for page 24. Suzanne Kasler, Inspired Interiors, photography Erica George Dines; Albert Hadley, Albert Hadley, the Story of America’s Preeminent Interior Designer, photography by Mary E. Nichols (Megan says I am a Hadley Head – guilty); Bruno de Caumont, Elle Decor, April 2010, photgraphy by Simon Upton; remaining images via Dolphin Gallery by Keith Davis.
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