Beneath the Surface

I am pleased to introduce guest blogger Lynn Honeysett, the Executive Director of the Pelham Art Center, one of our affiliate member organizations. The Pelham Art Center provides the public with the place, the resources and the opportunity to see, study and experience the arts in a community setting. It was founded in 1970 and now serves more than 16,000 people each year. -Janet

“Clay people are just different,” a clay artist once told me.  “They’re clay people.”    The clay artists in the room all nodded. I looked from one to another for explanation.  Apparently, none was needed.

Maybe it’s the artist’s divine power to coax lumps of wet earth into objects of beauty and service.  Maybe it’s a willingness to dig fingers into the stuff we all walk on.  Whatever defines one, a joyful and earthy clay person is very much in evidence in Judith Weber’s new exhibition, “Beneath the Surface,” at the Harrison Public Library through July 7th.

Representing an exuberant release from the functional ceramics she is best known for, Weber’s hanging tiles barely contain the clay that begs for three dimensions.  Clay is folded, pleated and draped across flat tiles; it is leather, fabric, skin.  It defies gravity and evades definition. One series suggests the emergence of prehistoric sea life; in another, orifices, craters and mounds tease out the female form.  A group of painted landscapes are Asian in feel, and a joyful romp through the chemistry of glazes.  There are playful puzzle tiles and mosaics. Deep sensuality and sense of fun unites “Beneath the Surface,” as Weber conjures the earth and explores the pleasures of manipulating clay for clay’s sake.

Harrison Public Library “Beneath the Surface: An Exploration of Color on Ceramic Tile,” works by Judith Weber. Through July 7. Mondays and Wednesdays, 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m. Harrison Public Library, 2 Bruce Avenue. (914) 835-0324; harrisonpl.org.

-Lynn Honeysett, Executive Director
Pelham Art Center
www.pelhamartcenter.org