A visually elegant combination of clay pottery and photography was on display at the Meet the Artists Opening Friday night of the show, “Nature and Earth,” at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts (LPCA). Clay artist Regis Brodie and photographer Jeff Clarke met with the 80 or so guests over wine and a sumptuous offering of hors d’ouevres, and later spoke about the philosophy behind their art.
Brodie is Professor of Art at Skidmore College, where he has been on the faculty for 41 years and has served as Director of the Summer Six Art Program for 38 years. As a master potter, he has received numerous awards, including the 2004-05 Residency Program in Yeoju, Korea, an International Symposium for Outdoor Ceramic Sculpture sponsored by the World Ceramic Exposition Foundation. The work on display at the LPCA represented a wide range of large pots to small isolated sculptures in ceramic.
Most interesting were the small grouped pieces, strikingly smooth textured forms in muted greens, browns and whites, sometimes three to a single base. They reflected notions of community and conformity, flow and rigidity at the same time. Brodie said his inspirations are far reaching, and he looks to integrate his original interests in painting with the three dimensional structures of sculpture and pottery. “My credo is how I can incorporate the surface with the form,” he said.
The warmth and giving contours of the sculpture were nicely constrasted by the stark and stirring black and white photos by Burlington, Vermont photographer Jeff Clark. Interestingly, he too, favors placement of several similar—but not identical—natural elements, such as rows of trees, barn doors or farmhouse windows, or haystacks. In his Adirondack panoramas, he said he looks to explore the finer details of large landscapes, and his work reveals an instinct for the simple balance of asymmetry and the symmetrical lines of the landscape in his viewfinder.
The Nature and Earth show melds together nicely, presenting harmony with individual accents, and plenty of variety. The show at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts continues on display through September 18th (Wed-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat & Sun 1-5pm (after Sept. 6: Wed.-Sat. 1-5pm)).
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