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November Issue 2003
Silver Fox Gallery in Tryon, NC, Features Several Exhibitions Including Works of Dr. Seuss
The Silver Fox Gallery
in Tryon, NC, opens Creative Commentary, an exhibition
of recently released works by Theodor Seuss Geisel from The
Secret Art Collection of Dr. Seuss™ and of figurative
soft sculpture by Caty Carlin, who was greatly influenced by Geisel's
work. Concurrently on exhibition is the work of mixed media artist
Diana Gurri in Personal Mythology. Gurri's current work
reflects her love of texture, natural fibers and found objects.
Both shows will remain on exhibit through Jan. 15, 2004.
Wildly imaginative creations from The Secret Art Collection
of Dr. Seuss are presented in limited edition serigraphs and
sculpture. The Book Illustration Art Collection is available
in limited edition hand pulled lithographs.
In books like Green Eggs and Ham, the third largest selling book in the English language, Theodor Seuss Geisel found a showcase for his work that yielded a following larger than any other artist in history.
For nearly sixty years, Geisel has delighted millions worldwide with his fanciful and often surreal worlds. His moral and social tales unfold with the ease and excitement of a child. His unbridled creativity and ability to touch the hearts of children, parents and grandparents alike go unmatched within the 20th century art world.
Dr. Seuss is multi-generational.
His messages are timeless and are no less important today than
they were 50 years ago. His messages are so subtle that no one
even knows they are messages - about ecology, prejudice, giving
and loving.
In her impeccably executed soft-sculpture figures, Caty Carlin
captures human emotions. The spirits of her people emerge in the
color, texture and gestures of her sculptures. Her figures capture
a particular moment of gesture or facial expression, much like
a photograph. Her groups of figures interact with one another
in her memory of a certain story or event. Each piece is one of
a kind, hand dyed and painted and sewn by hand.
Geisel's and Carlin's work both depict life in all of its facets - from hilarious and warm to rigid and demoralizing. Both artists manage to make their social statements with a sense of humor that makes the messages more palatable and memorable. And the work of both artists shows their unusual way of viewing the world around them. Their work reflects a life that has had moments of despair and pain as well as hope and joy.
"The images created by Ted Geisel make you want to be a child again," gallery owner Jim Rash said. "We want to give our customers an opportunity to break from the worries of this new century and take home a piece of uninhaibited creativity and childhood memories."
Biography of Theodor Seuss Geisel
For nearly 60 years, the work of Theodor Seuss Geisel has touched the lives of so many people that it has become an integral part of our culture. Geisel was born Mar. 2, 1904, in Springfield, MA. He attended Dartmouth College, and in his early years there, began painting his beloved elephant, Horton. Geisel also spent two years at Oxford University. He served in WWII and later worked in advertising for magazines, newspapers, posters and television.
The fantasy world was
not Geisel's only domain. He also wrote and produced documentaries,
receiving Academy Awards for best documentary short with Hitler
Lives (1946) and best documentary feature for Design for
Death (1947). His animated cartoon, Gerald McBoing-Boing,
also won an Academy Award in 1951.
In 1954, Geisel wrote an article for Life magazine about
literacy among school children, saying kids had trouble learning
because they thought their textbooks were boring. In response
to a subsequent challenge from Random House to write a book using
only 250 words, he wrote the zany primer The Cat in the Hat
(1957). Later, he was bet $50 - by limerick writer Bennett Cerf
- that he could not write a book using only 50 words. The result
of that challenge is the famous Green Eggs and Ham, the
third largest selling book in the English language.
Although Geisel never had any children of his own, he attributed his rapport with children to his early decision to be a child all his life. Geisel often said "Children want the same things we want. To laugh, to be challenged, to be entertained and delighted.
The Silver Fox Gallery
is an authorized dealer of The Art of Dr. Seuss™.
For more information check our NC Commercial Gallery listings
or call the gallery at 828/859-2259.
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