October Issue 2000
Laura Spong - Clay Burnette at Carol Saunders Gallery
An exhibition of abstract paintings by Laura Spong and pine needle baskets by Clay Burnette will run through Oct. 28 at the Carol Saunders Gallery in Columbia, SC.
Spong's oil paintings
portray visually, in a non-objective manner, her own inner journey.
It is her hope that through her work, a connection will be made
with others on a similar journey. She states that one of her tools
is the use of symbols because of their universality, both ancient
and modern. "I like to use them in an attempt to make 'the
unknown, known.' Circles, triangles, spirals, crosses, X's and
forms from nature have all been in use for decorative and symbolic
purposes since the earliest times of humankind." They are
incorporated in her work, creating expressions of her ideas, emotions
and imagination.
When asked about her work Spong offered the following statement:
"I paint because I love to paint. I've always liked to paint. Every spring, when I was growing up, I got the job of painting the front porch gliders because I loved the smell of paint and turpentine, the feel of the paint covering the rust on the coils and seeing the new look of the fresh paint over the old."
"I paint because it is the most comfortable way that I have found to gain some understanding of myself and the world. My work is about unmasking. My unconscious mind is always ahead of my conscious mind."
"I understand my dreams and my work best when looking back and suddenly realizing, ..oh, that's what that meant-not in a prophetic way but in a new awareness or perception."
"I paint because I love the process-the layering of the paint, the solving of the composition, the relationship of the color, the building up of texture. The understanding and revelation that can come are a bonus. I would continue to paint even if I had no further revelation-ever."
Burnette's
baskets are created from the needles of the longleaf pines using
the coiled method. They are slowly worked into soft and undulating
forms, incorporating rich colors and textures in the process.
Burnette has been making baskets for over twenty years and has
evolved a style that is uniquely his. His baskets have been featured
in numerous exhibitions nationally and internationally, and are
included in many collections. A variety of forms will be exhibited,
including several purely sculptural pieces.
When asked about his work Burnette offered the following statement:
"The creation of a pine needle basket is a painstakingly slow process. I gather each longleaf pine needle directly from the tree, dry it, dye it, paint it, and then soak it before beginning the coiling process. I stitch my coils together with a variety of materials such as waxed linen, copper or brass wire, and telephone wire. Oftentimes, recycled antique glass seed beads are threaded onto the coiling material as I stitch. When a basket is completed, it is heat-treated with a mixture of beeswax and paraffin and signed with my initials CB."
"Patterns for some of my most recent pieces are pulled from childhood memories of watching my mother hand-stitch fabric scraps into colorful utilitarian quilts which have, with the passage of time, become my family treasures."
"As I work on a basket, I am filled with a calming inner peace which I seem to only experience during this focused creative period. At the same time, I also feel an urgency to complete the object at hand so that I can begin the process once again. Ideas are endless... time is precious."
For further information check our SC Commercial Gallery listings or call the gallery at 803/256-3046.
Mailing Address: Carolina Arts, P.O. Drawer
427, Bonneau, SC 29431
Telephone, Answering Machine and FAX: 843/825-3408
E-Mail: carolinart@aol.com
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