Sculpture in the Glen II
Sculpture in the Glen II A collaboration between InLiquid and the Burch Family at the Glen in Gladwyne October 2020
1400 N American Street Studio 314 Philadelphia, PA 19122 215-235-3405 www.inliquid.org
Featuring: Alex Bard Kenn Brown Charles Burch Brent Crothers Brian David Dennis Charles Emlen Lisa Fedon Antonio Fink Joshua Koffman Leslie Matthews Caitlin McCormack Katia McGuirk
Michael Morgan Amy Orr John Parker Christopher Poehlmann Rikki Morley Saunders Peter Slavin Stan Smokler Jonathan Stemler Vicki Vinton Hanna Vogel Roger Wing
Works not included in the catalogue: Kenn Brown and Charles Burch 1
About Sculpture in the Glen II InLiquid presents Sculpture in the Glen II: an immersive outdoor sculpture garden introducing over two dozen new works by local sculptors into the lush landscape of the glen, a 4-acre parcel along Mill Creek in Gladwyne, PA. On view throughout the month of October, this sculpture garden will also be in celebration of InLiquid’s 21st anniversary. The sculpture garden will have scheduled hours for the general public to view, experience, and celebrate the art. Sculpture in the Glen II invites those who visit to step back from their computers and get back to nature where they can experience more than 25 sculptures intended to inspire and awe. InLiquid is deeply grateful to Susan and Bob Burch for their generous support of local art and artists and for the opportunity to present great works of art on their beautiful property. Works from the Glen are available for sale and works may be viewed on Artsy.
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Brian David Dennis: Untitled (Once Arc) in situ
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Alex Bard Alex Bard is a Philadelphia born and bred sculptor. He received his undergrad from The University of the Arts. He has worked for foundries and architectural metal design companies on commercial and residential projects. Bard’s artwork has been exhibited in Maine, New York, and Pennsylvania. Bard draws inspiration from his interests -- from history and archetypal symbols to the challenges of daily life. My work for InLiquid’s Sculpture in the Glen II is a concrete assemblage produced during this year’s quarantine. I wanted weights, and couldn’t find any to buy — stores were closed, and online was sold out as well. Necessity called for ingenuity, so I made my own, and made the best of Covid. It started with a simple goal and turned into a whole new artistic endeavor.
alexpbard.com 4
Alex Bard Purple Mountain Majesties, 2020 Concrete, rope, nails Dimensions vary $26,000 as a set $2,000 individually 5
Brent Crothers Sculptor Brent Crothers (1955 - 2020) worked professionally for over 30 years from Stoney Forest in Harford County, Maryland where he built his own home and studio. He earned his MFA and BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. Brent Crothers’ sculptures are featured in many permanent collections including: The Corcoran Museum of Art, The Hechinger Collection, Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters and The Delaware Art Museum. He was selected as a semi-finalist for The Sondheim Prize in 2010 and 2012. Crothers has also received six Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Awards, most recently in 2017. He was awarded a Baker Artist Award b-grant in 2012 and the Mary Sawyer Baker Prize in 2014. In 2016, Crothers received a Franz and Virginia Bader grant to help finish a piece he has been working on for several years. Recent solo exhibitions included venues such as: Urban Outfitters Corp. Head Quarters in Philadelphia, PA; Anthropologie’s Gallery at Rockefeller Center, NY, NY; Hillyer Art Space in Washington, DC; Haven Arts in the Bronx, NY; and Duke University in Durham, NC. Recent group exhibitions included: Baltimore Museum of Art in Baltimore, MD; The Portsmouth Museum in Portsmouth, VA; The Historical Society of Washington in DC; Rowan University Art Gallery, Glassboro in NJ; and The Art Museum of the Americas in Washington, DC.
InLiquid.org, brentcrothers.com 6
Brent Crothers Everybody Has A Well #2, 2015 Copper pipe, copper wire 72” x 10” x 3” $13,000 7
Brian David Dennis Brian David Dennis was born in 1959. He was raised in a home with movable walls designed by his father, an aspiring artist. The openness and fluidity of the modular arrangement captured Brian’s imagination. His mother, a kindergarten teacher encouraged Brian’s free thinking and constant building. As a student Brian considered following his passion for stage design, but sought the more personal expression the fine arts offered. He studied drawing and painting at the Pennsylvania Academy. He quickly settled into collage and assemblage. In the mid 80’s he began to explore installation using the exhibition location as an essential part of the piece. A life long resident of Pennsylvania, Brian has lived and worked in Philadelphia since 1984 with his life partner Keith Breitfeller. He began exhibiting with the cooperative gallery, Vox Populi and remained an active member for 15 years. He has held solo exhibits at the Philadelphia Art Alliance, the Sande Webster Gallery as well as a prestigious Fleisher Challenge. He has been granted an Independence Foundation Fellowship and other awards. This piece was created for the InLiquid exhibition Structures at Park Towne Place Museum District Residences as Arc and has been brought to the Glen to return to the earth. “I am inclined to speak of what it was. But that won’t explain what it is in the present. It has been completely transformed, becoming different, more wholly itself in this here and now. Against the multitude of natural processes the compulsions that made it no longer seem extreme. Nestled in a small grove, it bears witness, watches and listens. It has come here to be undone, to leave the realm of man. My ambitions to dominate have been replaced by an urge to reach higher. As it seeks kinship, it stretches on a gentle quest for peace and being.”
InLiquid.org, briandaviddennis.com 8
Brian David Dennis Untitled (Once Arc), 2019-2020 Bamboo skewers, acrylic, glue, and wire 156” x 264” x 288” (variable upon installation) NFS 9
Charles Emlen Charles Emlen was born and raised in Paoli, Pennsylvania. He received his BFA in sculpture from Pennsylvania State University in 1981, and his MFA in sculpture from Arizona State University in 1984. After leaving ASU he worked for several years as a sculptor’s assistant with Arizona artist Michael Anderson. In 1987 he returned to Pennsylvania where he built a sculpture studio and for the next twelve years worked on sculpture commissions and custom metal work. During this time he also worked as an electrician and CNC programmer. In 1999 Emlen took a position at a local avionics company and spent the next 18 years as a software engineer, designing and programing aircraft flight display graphics. In 2017 he retired from the avionics industry and has since been devoting all of his time to sculpture, machine art, and site specific installation.
I’m fascinated by systems and technology, the way things work, evolution, massively large numbers, complex algorithms, the human brain, entropy, eternity, language, sex, disease, animals, economies, and the functional aspects of just about every part of this great, big, wonderful thing we call reality. My work tends toward the technological. What and how I think is largely based in science. I can’t help but see the physical world as an endless field of size, scale, complexity and granularity. The universe is at once infinitely large and infinitely small. From the farthest reaches of the cosmos to the most diminutively infinitesimal corner of sub-atomic space, a diverse complexity reigns.
emlen.com 10
(left to right)
Charles Emlen Hybrid Re-Breather, 2020 Painted steel and repurposed oxygen bottles 78” x 48” x 48” $6,500
Charles Emlen Free Range Radical, 2020 Welded steel 46” x 18” x 22” $3,500
The artist pictured above with the Roach Motel
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Lisa Fedon Lisa Fedon was born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania in 1955. Having been introduced to art at an early age, she was 5 when a project at a Saturday art class left a lasting impression. Using string covered with glue, she wrapped it around a balloon and let it dry. When the balloon was popped, what remained was a 3-dimensional “balloon” shape defining space. Later and throughout her career as an artist, conveying the life that exists within and beyond the physical has fascinated Lisa. Learning to weld had a significant technical effect on Lisa’s work. It opened up possibilities for functional sculpture as well as outdoor public commissions leading to major works at the University of Scranton, McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts in Scranton, PA, East Stroudsburg University in East Stroudsburg, PA and the Arlington Public Library in Arlington, VA. She also completed projects for US Healthcare in Blue Bell, PA, Citizen Watch in Tokyo, Japan and was invited to show at the Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, PA. / Life’s Journey – Steel Sculptures by Lisa Fedon. Throughout her career Lisa’s subtle use of humor and allegory expressed a message that reflected her life. Her sculptures emerged from the void capturing spirit, where steel and mixed media utilized space, while the meaning and subject of her work evolved. Initially her focus dealt with friends and personal relationships. After having children, Lisa’s concerns revolved around the family. Now that her children are grown, her focus pertains to society and the world. All the while, there is recognition of fullness within the void of her sculptures. Having recently completed a 9-month artist residency at the Santa Reparata International School of Art in Florence, Italy, Lisa’s experience supported her direction towards a simplification of form and a reflection of the influences of space as related to the spiritual within architecture.
Lisa Fedon Morning Sun, 2016 Steel and recycled steel from old cars create an earth orb titled, Morning Sun. The piece has a natural rust patina and a Penetrol finish. It hangs on a fishing swivel and rotates in a breeze 44” x 40” x 35” $6,800
lisafedon.com 12
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Antonio Fink From ceramics to oil painting to printmaking to photography, Antonio Fink is truly a versatile artist. Compelled by the urge to create, Fink has been immersed in a world of art for over thirty years.
(left)
Antonio Fink Ariadna de Naxos, 2019 Ceramics 48” x 36” x 2” $4,000
(not pictured)
Antonio Fink The Listener, 2020 Ceramics 22” x 12” x 12” $3,000 antoniofink.com 14
(left to right)
Antonio Fink One with Nature/Fertility, 1997 Ceramics 72” x 42” $5,000
Antonio Fink The Kiss, 2000 Ceramics 96” x 48” $5,000 15
Joshua Koffman Joshua Koffman is a Philadelphia based sculptor known for his expressive and dramatic, large-scale bronze figurative sculptures. Koffman is a recipient of many distinguished awards among which are the Alex J. Ettl Grant, the John Cavanaugh Memorial Prize, and First Place in the Grand Central Academy’s Sculpture Competition. Koffman is a Fellow of the National Sculpture society. His work appears in numerous public and private collections and can be seen in Philadelphia’s F.A.N. Gallery. Currently Koffman is working on two public commissions. He is recreating his 2/3 life-size bronze monument Synagoga and Ecclesia in Our Time which celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the Second Vatican Council’s declaration known as Nostra Aetate. This second edition will be installed on the campus of Marist School in Atlanta Georgia in October 2021 Also Koffman is sculpting a life-size bronze sculpture of Diligence, the first Percheron stallion brought to the United States from France in 1839. The sculpture of Diligence will be a focal point on Main Street in the center of Moorestown New Jersey. Born in California in 1972, Joshua Koffman pursued a formal art education at the University of California, Santa Cruz, earning a BA degree in Fine Art. Desiring advanced study, Koffman enrolled at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts where he also taught sculpture for 11 years.
joshuakoffman.com 16
Joshua Koffman Torso Femina, 2012 Bronze 28” x 14” x 10” $20,000 17
Leslie Matthews As a mixed media artist, I can sculpt, paint, solder, sew, assemble…whatever technique I need to create my intended designs. Anything I see can become a part of my sculptures. From a steel grinding wheel to a soup bone to an old light bulb, they are all fair game. The freedom of material and technique is both liberating and intoxicating. At present my favorite material is painted tin.
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Leslie Matthews Gordian (image is of work in progress), 2020 Aluminum dryer hose 48” x 48” x 48” $750 lesliematthews.com 18
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Caitlin McCormack Caitlin McCormack is a Philadelphia-based textile artist and educator. She began utilizing fibers to construct osteological specimens ten years ago, after receiving her BFA from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. McCormack is currently working with a meticulous, self-taught process involving the use of natural pigments to hand-dye crocheted cotton sculptures of familiar objects in various stages of disintegration, which are then stiffened with a mixture of glues and occasionally dredged in enamel paint. McCormack’s sculptures have appeared in solo and group exhibitions at The Mütter Museum (PA), Museum Rijswijk (NL), The Mesa Contemporary Art Museum (AZ), The Taubman Museum of Art (VA), Hashimoto Contemporary (NYC and CA), The Fort Wayne Museum of Art (IN), Feinkünst Krüger (Hamburg), Vanilla Gallery (Tokyo), Rhodes Contemporary (London), and most recently at SPRING/BREAK Art Show in NYC. She is the 2020 recipient of a Joseph Robert Foundation grant. Caitlin McCormack is a sculptor using crocheted cotton string dredged in a mixture of glues as her primary medium. The material central to this process is typically sourced from estate and garage sales, as well as collections inherited from the artist’s deceased family members, who used it during the Great Depression to create delicate adornments for their homes and bodies. McCormack makes timeless inquiries regarding loss, isolation, and the navigation of trauma through the use of one’s hands. Her intricate, specimen-like thickets of hand-wrought objects are carefully constructed and fashioned to resemble unraveling creatures engaging in a conversation between the past and the present.
InLiquid.org, caitlintmccormack.com 20
This installation features a ghostly, large-scale, hand-crocheted skeleton, with inspiration drawn from both avian and humanoid forms.
Caitlin McCormack Big Bird, 2019 Crocheted cotton yarn, wire 6’ x 4’ x 8.5” (variable upon installation) Commissions for a similar piece start at $2,000 21
Katia McGuirk Katia McGuirk was born in Maryland farm country into a lineage of civic and political leaders, activists and agriculturalists. From her early years on her family’s Marylea Farm, she has always been up to her knees in mud with her head in the clouds. She would leave the farm to study ceramics at the Rhode Island School of Design, after which she began making tiles and renovating houses in Newport R.I. As an entrepreneur she grew her street-level art tile studio business by designing, manufacturing and installing hand-made tile nationally, for thirty-five years. As an Artist in Residence and teacher, she combines her avocation with her vocation: introducing ceramic and mosaic-making into school curriculums; not-for-profit sector, she leads, inspires and organically meets the needs of communities by producing tile murals and building platforms that amplify stories, create legacies, and promote social change. Her designs are interactive and therapeutic in nature. Nine years ago, Katia was invited to The Village of Arts and Humanities in Philadelphia by Lily Yeh. She was commissioned to reinvigorate the Village Clay Workshop. In her toolbox, she brought 20 years of teaching and 31 years of entrepreneurial experience. She teaches how vision, hard work, storytelling, empathy and design can empower students to tune into their passions to create their own unique and sustainable reality. As a director of The Tile Heritage Foundation, a national organization that preserves and protects our nation’s tile surfaces, practices and history since 1876 to present. Katia seeks to bridge the tile community and increase the visibility and relevance of the movement from the maker to the museum. katiatiles.com 22
(left to right)
Katia McGuirk Contemplating Chicken, 2020 Clay, glaze mosiac tile, stone, styrofoam, polymer cement, cement, rebar 48” x 12” x 12” $1,250
Katia McGuirk Denying Chicken, 2020 Clay, glaze mosiac tile, stone, styrofoam, polymer cement, cement, rebar 48” x 12” x 12” $1,250 (not pictured)
Katia McGuirk Little Bird - Big Family 1-7, 2020 Clay, glaze 12” x 6” x 6” $100 each
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Michael Morgan I am originally from Portsmouth, England, where I worked as a gardener for a number of years before studying to become an artist. I completed my BA (Hons) in Ceramics at The Polytechnic Wolverhampton UK in 1988, and my MFA Ceramics at University of Nebraska Lincoln in 1993. I lived in Lincoln NE since then, and moved in 2010 to Philadelphia PA, where I am a practicing artist. I have received grants and awards from the Clay Studio, University of Nebraska, Nebraska Arts Council and The Bader Fund. Although I have taken part in a number of exhibitions, my work is mainly commission based. I have completed many brick sculptures for both public and private clients. My work has been featured in a number of publications such as American Craft, Ceramics Monthly, SMART dynamics of masonry, Landscape Architecture, Rockland Magazine and Dallas Morning News, to mention a few. Some of my major commissions are; “Hornets Nest” 2015, Arts and Science Council, Charlotte NC, “Convergence” 2015 Blue Barn Theatre, Omaha NE, “Arches of Resurgence” 2013, SEPTA Philadelphia PA, “27th Street Hearth” 2012, City of Lincoln NE, “Silo” “Memory Wall” “Human Landscape Fireplace” 2005-2010, William Roskens Nashville NE, “Haverstraw Trophy” 2005 Rockland County AIPP, Haverstraw NY, “Spring Valley Terms” 2001 DART, Richardson TX. I am a sculptor who has worked almost exclusively with brick for some years. For me, using this humble everyday material to create public art can be a good vehicle for metaphor, mainly because of its accessibility to a wide audience. Functional and semi-functional elements are an integral part of my sculpture, I don’t view them as an impediment to the artistic form, rather they drive it to become more when human involvement is present. brickworksmichaelmorgan.com 24
Brick hump emerging from the earth, thus emphasizing the connection of brick to clay/earth.
Michael Morgan Earth, 2020 Brick 16” x 80” x 80” (approx) $3,000 25
Amy Orr Amy Orr is a studio and street artist whose multi-media practice involves the reinvention of found materials. Orr was educated in Philadelphia and Israel. She is a former tenured professor, arts administrator, designer and publisher.
Amy Orr’s work has evolved out of a background in textile concepts and practices. She pieces together found plastic scraps to create something of unexpected beauty, that raises questions about the environment, art and value.
I am drawn to materials for their color, abundance and purpose. Whether I am constructing a patterned surface or accumulations of ephemera, I use the material fragments to create a sparkling wasteland of personal histories and common stories. Where my work with plastic was once a lighthearted narrative about consumerism and culture, the lens is now on the environmental disaster that plastic is causing.
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InLiquid.org, amyorr.net 26
Amy Orr Plague, 2020 Plastic flosser-pics, waxed thread, red beads, wire 18” x 48” $3,500
(above)
Amy Orr The Last Drops, 2018-2020 Plastic and wire 28” x 52” $7,000 as a set $800 - $1,500 individually
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John Parker John Parker received his BFA from The Cleveland Institute of Art and MFA from The Rinehart School of Sculpture at The Maryland Institute, College of Art. He taught welding at the Skill Center in Grand Rapids and sculpture for four summers at Interlochen Center for the Arts. Parker moved to the Philadelphia area in 1980, where he was the Iron Foreman for Old City Construction Co. Three years later he was a creator and Vice President of Voltri Ironworks where he fabricated and installed structural and miscellaneous steel. In 1989 he created and became President of The Painted Garden, Inc. where he designs, fabricates and installs iron garden structures, including trellises, pergolas and gates. Parker has been creating outdoor sculpture since 1975, and shown his work in exhibitions all through the Eastern and Midwest states. He is in collections that include Skokie Northshore Sculpture Park, IL, Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park, Hamilton, OH and Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis, MD. The forms from nature that I have drawn from for these sculptures are taken from insect lifesegmented, hard shelled bodies, robotic and armor coated, yet able to instantly take flight. The large scale of these otherwise small creatures comes from reality and fantasy of the prehistoric world. Steel plate is my material of choice; man made and industrial in its purchased form. I enjoy the challenge of making something animated and weightless with iron. The possibilities have been endless for me in the way I have been able to transform this heavy material. Strong and durable, my sculptures withstand the test of time and I’ve had great success on public sites. Outdoor sculptures have to function in a comprehensive way as a drive-by experience, as strong and dynamic silhouettes. With further exploration for the passer-by or neighborhood resident, a deeper appreciation and enjoyment can be explored walking around, under and through the pieces. 28
Art is not an instant snapshot. It is meant to be lived with and experienced. The importance of outdoor sculpture is that one does not have to go to a museum to experience it.
John Parker Stinger II, 2016 Painted steel plate 120” x 90” x 45” $18,000 29
Christopher Poehlmann Since 1985 when Christopher Poehlmann first fell in love with Design while studying fine art photography in Europe, he has been singularly focused on creating artful objects for everyday use. Typically working at the intersection of Craft and Design, Poehlmann describes his focus as inhabiting the “grey area between art and craft, sculpture and design, form and function.” Poehlmann is self-trained, beginning his career with his first solo gallery show in 1990 with a body of work made from coper pipe and fittings. His work morphed over time to include found and repurposed materials and later into plastics, woodworking, welding steel and aluminum, and other fabrication processes. A natural welder, Poehlmann states that is seems to be in his DNA. Whatever the process and material that interests and engages this artist, he studies it and either masters it or finds expert outsourcing to aid in executing his vision. A drive to pursue unique and personal designs has led Poehlmann to be a trend leader. Founding his company CP Lighting in 1995, he launched his first lighting collection at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) that year to great acclaim. Since that time, Christopher Poehlmann has worked tirelessly across the boundaries of Art and Design. Always equally interested in the disciplines of Studio Craft and Industrial Design, he has staged 16 solo gallery exhibitions, been part of numerous group exhibitions throughout the country in private galleries, scholastic galleries and museums, and has had his work published in sourcebooks, magazines, newspapers and blogs worldwide. This recognition has led him to curate shows since 2003 at a variety of museums, galleries and trade shows as well as writing essays about design for show catalogs, magazines and blogs. 2018 marked his 26th consecutive year as an exhibitor at the ICFF in NYC where he made his mark on the design world through the then uncommon use of recycled materials as well as being a very early proponent of what we now think of as Organic Design. cplighting.com 30
Christopher Poehlmann RoughHewn Bench, 2020 Hand carved welded aluminum bench 18” x 48” x 20” $4,800 31
Rikki Morley Saunders Rikki Morley Saunders is a fellow at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and is a member of the National Sculpture Society, Society of Animal Artists, and the National Audubon Society. Art and nature have always been central in my life. I was raised in upstate NY, where my artistic interest was nurtured by my father’s drawing, painting and carving. He taught me to hunt and fish, to carve in wood, to sit quietly in nature, to observe, and to immerse myself in the character of a wild creature. Growing out of such experiences, I am committed to only working from real life, I spend my days with these wonderful creatures, observing their habits, learning their language, studying their form and capturing their grace and spirit in clay. I am search for a moment in time, always fleeting, that illuminates a creature’s very essence. I am passionate about capturing that moment that sings to me which exemplifies and conveys both how special that animal is and my profound love and respect for wild.
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rikkimorleysaunders.com 32
Rikki Morley Saunders Pair of Bellas, 2013 Bronze 18” x 14.75” x 39.8 each $19,500 for the pair $11,500 separately
(above)
Rikki Morley Saunders Gift in Velvet, 2006 Bronze 49” x 53” x 22” $34,500 33
Peter Slavin
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icesculpturephilly.com 34
Peter Slavin Flight, 2020 Stainless steel and temp steel 72” h $1,415
(above)
Peter Slavin Rotation, 2020 Stainless steel and temp steel 72” x 50” $1,585 35
Stan Smokler Stan Smokler’s steel sculptures recall the visual wit and cunning assemblages of Picasso and Gonzalez, as well as the American voices of David Smith and Richard Stankiewicz. Out of these sources Stan has developed a unique palette, applying industrial cast-offs, “found objects” to create sculptures which deliberately deny their past history in order to serve a new formal purpose. Making sculpture for me is an ongoing exploration of how materials effects the space it occupies. My welded sculptures, created from steel, are modeled in a spontaneous and improvisational manner. Which deliberately deny their past history in order to serve a new formal purpose. I try to achieve the liberation of a sculpture by the conceptual stripping away of its identity by bending an old part into a new form. These abandoned objects are reconstituted into sculptures that serve a new formal purpose. There is no attempt at representation. My imagery echoes within the realm of Modernism with a touch of Surrealism. I am most challenged by the process of the how - questioning and investigating the compositional placement of the materials. My welded steel sculptures are constructed from bits and pieces of material patched together. I use discarded, abandoned objects as a bridge to reflect a past history, arranging the materials into lively sculptures that visually impact the space they occupy.
InLiquid.org, stansmokler.com 36
Stan Smokler Construction #9, 2011 Steel 84” x 48” x 24” $6,000 37
Jonathan Stemler Jon Stemler lives in Montgomery County with his wife Kimberly and their three sons. He owns and runs a manufacturing facility in Perkasie, PA and is also a consultant for a movable bridge engineering firm. In addition to this, Jon designs, fabricates, and installs large scale work for other artists. Examples of such works were “Portal” created by New York artist Tomie Arai and “Chinatown eyes” by Mei-Ling Hom, both having been temporary installations in Philadelphia. “The Public Utterations Machines” for artist Rebecca Hackemann was installed for two weeks in both Long Island and Brooklyn, New York. Onsite machining is also part of his skill set such as his field work on “Oculus”, a permanent installation by Santiago Calatrava at the World Trade Center in New York. Recent invitationals include “Dear Fleisher,” Fleisher Art Memorial in Philadelphia, “Salon of Small Works”, NAP in Kutztown and “Til Death Do Us Art”, Studio B in Boyertown. Temporary site specific work includes previous exhibitions at the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown and Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia with Matthew Stemler and “little red string” through the Asian Arts Initiative in Philadelphia with Kimberly Stemler. Permanent Installations with Kimberly consist of “alpha & omega” NHUMC in Gilbertsville, PA and “Windows of History” located at Univest National Bank in Souderton, PA. Much of his work is kinetic; it is playful, significant, and beautiful. It is to be accessible intellectually and artistically to all audiences. Both Jon and his work are absent of loftiness, condescension, and pretense. Instead, one finds both the artist and his work to be simple, powerful, and humble.
bit.ly/JonStemler 38
Jonathan Stemler The Indiscriminate Stockpiling of Seeds, 2020 Concrete, steel, cypress 264” x 264” x 96” $8,600 39
Vicki Vinton Vicki Vinton’s work is lively and visceral. Her sculptures inhabit a life of their own. The scraping, excavation and layering of her paintings take you on an exploratory journey through her process. Both ask questions of the viewer, requiring them to question and engage. An idea percolates. The steam of an idea taking off, gathering momentum till the moment it has to be realized. Much of my work follows this pattern persistently moving to the fore front of the conscious. I have recently been collaborating with artisans to help create my sculptures. It’s fun to participate with the process without having complete control. In my painting the materials and I are in a sense collaborating. It is more like a game of ping pong, volleying back and forth till the match ends, the paddles are put down. We are both winners.
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Vicki Vinton Stand With Presence, 2019 Powder coated steel 72” x 48” x 48” $7,500 Stand With Presence reminds us to celebrate your strength and never apologize for being fierce. vrvinton.com 40
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Hanna Vogel Hanna Vogel is an artist and educator living in Philadelphia, PA. She grew up in rural Northern California and received a BFA from the California College of the Arts and an MFA from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. In her work, she uses craftbased materials and techniques in non-traditional ways to make sculptures and installations that explore aspects of entropy in the natural world. She has exhibited her work nationally and internationally, including at The Huntington Museum of Art, The Spartanburg Art Museum, Delaware Art Museum, and the Biblioteca Henestrosa in Oaxaca, Mexico. She has presented at conferences and published papers internationally and has received fellowships/ grants from Yaddo, the California College of the Arts, I-Park, Sculpture Space, The KĂźnstlerdorf SchĂśppingen Foundation, Lighton International Artist Exchange Program, and Philadelphia Sculptors. I create imaginary landscapes and growths to investigate the effects of entropy on our environments. I hand weave steel wire to create unfamiliar forms and textures that evoke growth, decay, and the tenuousness of our surroundings. By referencing craft traditions and natural processes of dissolution, my work addresses aspects of existence on the edge of potential destruction. In doing so, it asserts the craft-based primacy of the handmade, grounding itself in the physical world on which we all ultimately rely. Combined with this materiality, the scale and visual delicacy of my work allude to spatial and physical considerations of human bodies. The size and placement of these objects compared to the body describe the nature of their relationship. Some works loom down from above as if sitting in judgement or, alternately, being elevated above the destructive reach of human hands. By alluding to their own physical vulnerabilities, these objects underscore the precarity of our surrounding ecosystems. In doing so, my work aims to cultivate compassion for the physical world around us and for our own impermanent selves. InLiquid.org, hannavogel.com 42
Hanna Vogel A New Solanum, 2020 Aluminum wire, paint Dimensions variable upon installation $850
A New Solanum is a 9-piece installation that imagines a new type of nightshade. Previously unknown to people, we have yet to learn if it is poisonous, edible, medicinal, or something in between. It is indigenous to 2020. 43
Roger Wing Roger Wing was born in 1968 in Columbus, Ohio. He studied sculpture at UC Santa Cruz, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the University of Montana. As well as carving wood, his primary medium, Wing travels frequently to Europe and Asia to sculpt ice, snow and sand. Among the most influential experiences of Wing’s life were five weeks spent in Japan studying Buddhist and traditional wood carvings and two summers creating marble sculptures in the Carrara, Italy studio of Manuel Neri. Wing’s family, home and studio are in West Philadelphia where he is part of a vibrant and creative community. My sculptures are created by carving natural materials, primarily wood, stone, and ice. Unlike most methods of sculpting, such as modelling or fabrication which are additive, carving requires a unique mindset, working from a larger mass through the process of removal to create more from less. Carving requires a linear, straight forward approach. There are no take backs or do overs. The imperfections and limits of the material’s overall dimensions also make their own demands. The carver must have a very clear idea in mind but remain flexible to accommodate and adapt to surprises and irregularities. In this way carving offers many life lessons. The patient practice of carving away chip after chip presents opportunities for long contemplation and at times profound insight and personal growth. My artistic practice, although unrelated in any formal way, runs parallel to that of Japanese Busshi, carvers of wooden Buddhas. The act of finishing a carving well improves the one who makes it, and thereby benefits the larger community. My art is a sacred act meant to uplift and inspire all who encounter it.
InLiquid.org, rogerwing.com 44
Roger Wing Unruly Spirit, 2020 Portuguese pink marble 24.5” x 9” x 8” $8,000 45
InLiquid InLiquid is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to creating opportunities and exposure for visual artists and works with more than 280 artists and designers. It serves as a free, online public hub for arts information in the Philadelphia area. Find out more at www.inliquid.org. Many included artworks are available for purchase on Artsy. Inquiries for purchases or commissioned work can be directed to Elizabeth Roan at elizabeth@inliquid.org.
1400 N American Street Studio 108 Philadelphia, PA 19122 215-235-3405 www.InLiquid.org Many included artworks are available for purchase on Artsy
Opposite page: John Parker, Stinger II in situ
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Cover: Rikki Morley Saunders, Gift in Velvet in situ
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