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April Issue 2008
WICKWIRE in Hendersonville, NC, Features
Works by Gabriel Kline
WICKWIRE fine art/folk art in Hendersonville, NC, will present an exhibit of works by ceramic artist Gabriel Kline, on view from Apr. 4 - 6, 2008.
At the heart of artist Gabriel Kline's creative and professional goals lies a firm belief in the Modernist notion that it is the responsibility of artists to address and attempt to correct the shortcomings of their society, as well as a personal quest for tranquility and peace through creative endeavoring. His commitment to these causes represents the fundamental drive behind his work in ceramics, as an artist and a teacher.
Kline seeks to create pieces that are functional in three senses of the word. The first function is to fulfill a spiritual search for physical and mental calm. A student of ancient Taoist teachings as found in the primary texts Nei-Yeh (Inward Training), Yuan Dao (Tracing the Way to Its Source), Tao-te Ching (The Way and Its Power), and the inner chapters of The Chuang-Tzu, he conceives his daily life in terms of the harmony achieved (or lack of) between his surroundings and himself. "When at the wheel," says Kline, "I achieve this harmony perhaps more comprehensively than in any other aspect of my life."
In a second sense, Kline yields pieces before and while using breathing techniques and zazen meditation. These "calm" pots are intended to function as meditation bells for the beholder. To look at his pieces will be to bear witness to and engage the physical and mental calm necessary for their creation and to interact with one of his pieces, is to be calmed.
Finally, Kline's work is functional in a third, more traditional sense. The work is made in order to be used in both the everyday activities of the owner and for special occasions. In particular, his work is made with the intention of encouraging harmonious interaction and mindful, conscious action while making tea, preparing food, drinking saki or whiskey, arranging flowers, or planting herbs. Very often, the work puts one in a position to serve others, be they family, friends, or new faces.
While Kline finds this style of work personally fulfilling, he also enjoys collaborations with other ceramists and with artists in other fields. In coming years he hopes to collaborate with graffiti artists by bringing a third dimension to their work, with fashion designers to create uniquely wearable pieces, with photographers using cyanotype techniques, and with musicians, whose rhythmic creations resonate with the timing and rhythm of the throwing process.
Professionally, Kline hopes to establish a working studio that also serves as a community oriented center for public service, large scale projects, and education. He sees public service and teaching as art forms in their own right and ones in which he invests myself wholly. As the Creative Arts Department Head for Camp Wekeela for Boys and Girls in Canton, ME, and as a pottery instructor at the Dragonfly Studio on Tybee Island, GA, and at Sunset Ceramics in St, John, USVI, Kline has worked to create safe, supportive environments for children and adults to explore their creativity.
In the future, Kline hopes to work with segments of the population who might benefit most from clay work and groups that might not otherwise be offered the opportunity. These groups could include, for example, the homeless, orphans, prisoners and parolees, or the differently abled. He believes not only that these groups would benefit from instruction and work with clay, but that their unique perspectives as ostracized groups in society would result in powerful and resounding works of art. Organizations like Baltimore Clayworks in Maryland, The Clay Studio in Philadelphia, and that Carlisle Arts Learning Center in Carlisle Pennsylvania serve as inspiration. Projects such as city murals, after school programming for children, and "empty bowls" dinner benefits are worthwhile endeavors. The midnight basketball leagues that operate in a number of cities across the country also strike Kline as worthy programs with potential analogues in the world of ceramics.
Kline has coined this aspect of his professional goals "civic ceramics" and considers it an appropriate response to the Modernist artist's challenge to address and suggest solutions for our society's problems. He says, "I am thankful for the opportunities I have had in ceramics so far. I wish to continue to experiment and expand within this medium and make available to others all that I have learned. It is my intention with this to influence the world as positively as possible - peace."
Born and raised in the hills of Pennsylvania, Kline now calls Asheville, NC home. He has a truck and a pretty artist girlfriend. Now he says if he can just get a dog, he will have everything that he ever wanted. Kline is proudly represented by WICKWIRE fine art/folk art.
Kline will offer an art demonstration on Apr. 4, from 6-9pm at WICKWIRE's 330 N. Main Street location.
WICKWIRE brings you a decade of distinctive art choices for home and office décor. Celebrate with us July 25, 2008, at 330 and 329 N. Main Street as we commemorate our 10th Year Anniversary - 2008! The gallery offers original, new works of traditional, transitional art and contemporary folk art of the highest quality, including original paintings, American handmade craft, handcrafted furniture, photography, jewelry and more.
For further information check our NC Commercial
Gallery listings, call the gallery at 828/692-6222 or visit (www.wickwireartgallery.com).
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