Join us on Friday 14th, 2022, for the opening reception of EVoLViNG, a collaborative exhibition by Elizabeth Brown and Gayle Singer.
Gayle Singer is Professor Emeritus of Art (Ceramics) at the University of Central Oklahoma. She taught at the University for twenty-two years and is now a full-time studio artist. Her interest in clay began thirty-five years ago as an undergraduate student. Gayle Singer has earned degrees from the following institutions: Central State University, Bachelor of Arts in Education 1981, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Master of Education 1982, Kansas City Art Institute, Bachelor of Fine Arts (Ceramics) 1987, and New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, Master of Fine Arts (Ceramics) 1989. Her work has been widely exhibited in international, national, and regional exhibitions.
“I am inspired by structural elements and the growth process and alteration of forms found in nature. Energy, tension, and motion are compelling forces that I continually strive to emulate in my work and are best translated by the way I choose to manipulate and exaggerate the plasticity of the clay. My approach to the material is direct, yet responsive to its innate properties. The hand and material connection that clay provides, in relation to the use of the potter’s wheel, engage me physically and allow me to respond spontaneously. My current sculptural explorations involve forms that are assembled on a metal rod, mounted to the wall, and free standing vertical forms. The installation process provides flexibility in the final angle and orientation of the sculpture, contributes to the illusion of movement, and aids in the distribution of weight within a given piece. The incorporation of functional elements contributes to the structural foundation and establishes a format for interpretation and interplay. The use of saturated color and textural surfaces enhance the juxtaposition of the parts within the composition and invite a visual and tactile response”.
-Gayle Singer
Elizabeth Brown is a mixed media artist working with synthetic and non-traditional materials. Her work takes the form of mixed media drawings, paintings, and sculptures.
She is known for her biological imagery abstracting forms with an emphasis on their textures and color. Her current work focuses on manipulating man-made materials to reference natural shapes and surfaces that remain elusive in their definition.
Ms. Brown has taught in colleges and universities for 24 years and is currently a Professor of Art at the University of Central Oklahoma. She actively volunteers and serves as an advocate of the arts in the local community. In these capacities, she has served as a trustee at many non-profit art spaces in downtown Oklahoma City working with them on programming and fundraising.
While at Rhode Island School of Design she spent her final year in their European Honors Program in Rome, Italy with intensive studies in studio art and art history. Upon completion of her coursework, she received a BFA in Printmaking. She went on to complete her MFA in Fibers at Arizona State University.
Her work is exhibited nationally and internationally. At the Piazza Cenci 56, Rome, Italy, and in New York at HEREArt, ABC No Rio, and Gallery 128. She has also shown in local and regional museums, at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Fort Collins, CO, and the Central Museum of Art & Design in Edmond, OK. Additionally, in gallery spaces such as Octagon Center for the Arts in Ames, IA, The Machine Shop Gallery in Washington, MO, and The Santa Fe Gallery in Gainesville, FL.
“In the study of things, we believe we can define and know life.
Art is a visual study, a physical exploration, and an act of creating. In my observations, I focus on nature and how my studies into biology and oceanography provide me with a spiritual connection to existence. In my studio, which I often think of as my lab, I explore the mental connections between diverse materials and objects, contemplating how they can be put together. These possibilities lead me to ideas of ‘what if?’ and I begin to experiment. Through the unforeseen combinations of synthetic and non-traditional materials, a tension is created between the definable and the indefinable.
In the same way that I study and analyze the textures, forms, and movement in my own artwork, scientist study specific physical features of organisms and how they shape and create larger systems. With these mutual insights, I create works that others see as mimicking living form. Marine life with its fans and tubes, the flowing transparency and rough surfaces, the colors of corals and algae and the reflection of filtered light appear in a distant and elusive manner in the art.
In the process of working on multiple series and multiple pieces within these series, there is a convergent evolution in appearance. While each piece created is distinct and unique, many share similar traits. In reflection, I see this is possible through my material choices that cross between painting to painting, sculpture to sculpture, and from painting to sculpture. There is a link, shared inherent qualities of surface reflectivity, mailability, viscosity, and structural integrity. The mixing of mediums and the repetition of making multiple parts adds to their unique appearances.
It is in the uses of manmade and artificial elements in these works that invites the idea that life is ultimately both knowable and nameless”.
–Elizabeth Brown
