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September Issue
2009
Mooresville
Art Guild in Mooresville, NC, Features Works by Penny Overcash
and Lake Norman Quilters
The Mooresville Art Guild in Mooresville, NC, will present several exhibits including, From Paper To Clay, featuring a retrospective of sculptural works by Penny Overcash, and an exhibit of quilts by the Lake Norman Quilters. Both exhibits will be on view at the Mooresville Art Depot from Sept. 2 - 30, 2009.
Over the past ten years Penny Overcash has been beating, cooking, coloring and pulling various types of fibers for her figurative paper sculptures and hand made sculptural books. While these endeavors were rewarding and explorative, the need for immediate and expansive use of materials (along with some good clay buddies) turned her creative ambitions to ceramic clay. Once discovering this medium, she has never looked back; "Clay is a life long process of learning and then some. It's unique properties, firing techniques and glaze-decorating choices may never be fully realized in one lifetime. It is an art of truly endless possibilities."
From her first time out when Overcash joined the local guild in October of 2007, she won Best of Show in the Artoberfest for her Styled Clematis #3. Juror Larry Elder from the distinguished Elder Gallery in Charlotte, NC, stated: "This may be the first time I have ever awarded a Best in Show to a 3-dimentional piece. I felt that this artist's style is distinctive and the work well executed. There are a lot of subtleties in this ceramic sculpture which make for a very strong and interesting work of art." This gave Overcash the confidence and drive she needed to fully explore her love of clay.
Not content with the botanical imagery alone, Overcash began exploring her fascination for animals. Giraffes are a favorite subject study and the various use of glazes, pigments, oxides and stains produced some fascinating textures and surface decoration for her work. Overcash also utilizes numerous firing techniques from oxidation to raku and multi-firing applications to achieve some of the highly unusual surface treatments which give many of the animal sculptures a feeling of fantasy and otherworldliness. Notably in the show one will find an intriguing Zebra head, many forms of giraffes and a particularly interesting sculpture the artist calls the Magical Zebra Rat.
"This piece generates comments and awe whenever first encountered." The unusual form and gesture with the small floating arms is imaginative to say the least. Overcash tells us "this piece literally made itself - my hands were working but I had no intention when forming the clay - it just came out by itself! When the head was finished I stepped back and laughed out loud so surprised to see it was a rat! And no ordinary rat at that!"
Following a yearlong fascination with animal sculpture, human figurative sculpture was sure to be next on the menu. A combination of botanical influence can still be found in some whimsical renditions of people the artist has sculpted. Most notably is a pod-like structure named The Barbara; this magical and creative sculpture combines a musing and tranquil expression amid branches and magnolia flowers, as well as one inquisitive little bird. A self-portrait sculpture of the artist will also be on display. It is noted by Overcash that the surface finish, which renders an almost metal/bronze patina, was extremely challenging and took five firings with different glaze layering to achieve the unusual affect. The diligence paid off in the finished piece.
Through extensive research and a never- ending sketchbook of ideas Overcash is working on a new body of work concentrating on fantasy figures from her favorite childhood story - Alice in Wonderland. "These new ideas are the most fun adventure for me in clay that I have ever experienced. Having always been enthralled by the Alice in Wonderland tales, I recently decided that I must create some of the characters in 3-d.
When close friends came to visit and viewed the smoking caterpillar sitting on a mushroom in my studio and asked about my idea for the body of work, I was ecstatic to find out from one of them that Tim Burton was directing a new movie version of Alice in Wonderland starring Johnny Depp! (To be released next year). Who knew? (I live in my studio!). The timing is perfect and we look forward to seeing the complete new study of sculptures concentrating on the Alice in Wonderland theme in the beginning of 2010. In the meantime come see the sculptural retrospective of works and grab a peek or two at the new and delicious works to follow.
Overcash is a full time ceramic sculptor living in Cleveland, NC, with a home based studio. She has continued to win awards for her sculptures at all the local shows for the past three years. Be on the lookout for this upcoming emerging clay artist as her creative energy advances to higher venues and continued success.
In conjunction with the Overcash exhibit the Lake Norman Quilters will be showing various art quilts in two of the three galleries at the Depot. Ten to fifteen quilt artists (including several professional quilters) will exhibit traditional quilts and art quilts, showing methods such as thread painting and other diverse techniques known only to the rare individual sewing artists. Prize-winning quilts will be displayed as well. It should be a great gallery exhibit all around.
For further information
check or NC Institutional Gallery listings, call the Art Guild
at 704/663-6661 or visit (www.mooresvilleartistguild.com).
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