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February Issue
2008
Plum Elements in Charleston, SC, Features Works by Aija Sterns
The
tidal pull of the marsh, the Lowcountry coastal plain, and those
that inhabit it come to life in the collection of Aija Sterns'
gouache paintings on exhibition at Plum Elements in Charleston,
SC. The show, Reflections opens on Feb. 14 and will extend
through Apr. 5, 2008.
Both the medium and Sterns' technique serve the ever-changing nature of one of the Lowcountry's defining treasures. In these paintings, Sterns captures the light, texture and mood of the marsh. With a little bit of imagination, one might even think they're smelling the mud when they see the work. This is fitting as gouache (pronounced "gwash") is a word that stems from the Italian word for "mud" - aguazzo.
The opaque watercolor allows for a brillance, in which Sterns work shows the shimmer of a moonpath on the water or a vibrant sunset reflecting in the sea. Gouache, regarded as excellent for layering, allows Sterns to work with the various levels one encounters in life by translating it to art. The viewer can simply appreciate the scene, sometimes abstract, perhaps recalling their own experience or transcend to other emotive levels to ponder a mood or time.
The exhibition explores a range, the full circle - both actual and metaphorically. "Life is diverse. Our days are colorful, light and dark. The interpretation and reflection of experience is as varied," commented Sterns. In her work, she considers the interface between experience and the response process. "Painting," she explained, "affords me the opportunity to work through this, to express how something I see impacts and then translates feelings and other experiences. As such, some of the work then, becomes autobiographical - the quoting of an inner dialogue."
Sterns prefers gouache because of the full capacity of the vocabulary she can create with it. "Initially," she explained, "the paint was about an opaque swath of rich, bold and true color." But then with its transparent fields and overlapping layers of thinned colors and tints, she has also found a fun and freedom, as well as a fullness of expression.
Making her home in the Charleston area for nearly 15 years, Sterns has had an abundance of seasons and cycles to experience and respond to the Lowcountry marsh and waters' myriad of tones. She received her BFA from Alfred University and her MFA from Rhode Island School of Design. This is her first show at Plum Elements.
For further information check our SC Commercial
Gallery listings, call the gallery at 843/727-3747 or e-mail (info@plumelements.com).
Carolina Arts is published monthly by Shoestring Publishing Company, a subsidiary of PSMG, Inc. Copyright© 2008 by PSMG, Inc., which published Charleston Arts from July 1987 - Dec. 1994 and South Carolina Arts from Jan. 1995 - Dec. 1996. It also publishes Carolina Arts Online, Copyright© 2008 by PSMG, Inc. All rights reserved by PSMG, Inc. or by the authors of articles. Reproduction or use without written permission is strictly prohibited. Carolina Arts is available throughout North & South Carolina.