Depth Perception
Cape Cod Museum of Art, Dennis, Massachusetts, 2017
Co-curated with Cherie Mittenthal
Originally published May 16, 2017
Lynda Ray
Banded Iron, 2015, encaustic on panel, 12 x 24 inches
"Depth Perception" refers not only to the physical way three-dimensional work is experienced from different vantage points but to the way a two-dimensional surface can be developed to suggest dimension, either through perspective on a flat plane or by the buildup of the surface into high or low relief. If you find yourself on Cape Cod between now and June 4, please stop in at the Cape Cod Museum of Art in Dennis to see Depth Perception, the 19-artist exhibition of painting and sculpture that I co-curated with artist Cherie Mittenthal.
Considering depth in two and three dimensions. From left: Carol Pelletier, Cherie Mittenthal, Susan Lasch Krevitt
(on pedestal) and Wayne Montecalvo
Panoramic view of Depth Perception
Depth Perception is timed to coincide with the International Encaustic Conference in Provincetown, an annual event I founded that is now directed by Mittenthal. All of the artists in the exhibition work in the medium of encaustic, sometimes in concert with other materials. In curating this exhibition, which brings together dimension in its real and perceived states, we underscore the idea that there is no such thing as "encaustic art" (a dreaded hobby concept) but simply that wax is a particularly effective medium by which ideas can be realized in contemporary art.
The exhibiting artists are Pamela Blum, Steven J. Cabral, Karen Freedman, Lorraine Glessner, Jane Guthridge, Susan Lasch Krevitt, Sandi Miot, Wayne Montecalvo, Laura Moriarty, Nancy Natale, Carol Pelletier, Lisa Pressman, Lynda Ray, Stephanie Roberts-Camello, Toby Sisson, Dietlind Vander Schaaf, Janise Yntema, and the two curators, Mittenthal and me. This exhibition of modestly scaled works is installed in the intimate Polhemus Savery DaSilva Gallery.
On wall from left: Janise Yntema, Pamela Blum, Lorraine Glessner, Stephanie Roberts-Camello; on pedestal: Sandi Miot
Sandi Miot
Detail of Purple Biome, 2016, wax and mixed media
Janise Yntema
Hallwood, 2017, encaustic on panel
Pamela Blum
Limb #2 and Limb #3, both 2016; encaustic, oil, plaster on armature, and mixed media
Continuing clockwise: Glessner, Roberts-Camello, Toby Sisson, Nancy Natale
Lorraine Glessner
Pink Snow, 2015; encaustic, collage, and mixed media on panel
Stephanie Roberts-Camello
Revision, 2016, encaustic relief on panel
Toby Sisson
grow inward like a root II and III, both 2017, encaustic monotype on paper mounted on panel
Nancy Natale
Passage, 2015; encaustic, leather, rubber and mixed media
The wall opposite the entrance: Joanne Mattera, Lisa Pressman, Steven J. Cabral; on pedestal: Laura Moriarty
Joanne Mattera
Chromatic Geometry 40, 2016, encaustic on panel
Lisa Pressman
Stop It, 2017, encaustic on panel
Steven J. Cabral
Ukiyo 6, encaustic and oil on panel
Laura Moriarty
Detail of Runaround, 2017, encaustic
Dietlind Vander Schaaf, Karen Freedman; foreground: Laura Moriarty
Photo: Stephanie Roberts-Camello
Vander Schaaf, Freedman; on pedestal: Jane Guthridge
Dietlind Vander Schaaf
Vatn 4, 2017, encaustic and oil on panel
Karen Freedman
Ruche 0352.127, 2016, encaustic and casein on panel
Jane Guthridge
Changing Light 3, 2017; Dura-Lar, encaustic, and archival inkjet on Kozo papers
Carol Pelletier, Mittenthal, Lasch Krevitt, Montecalvo
Carol Pelletier
Burned Ground, 2017, oil and cold wax on panel
Cherie Mittenthal
House with Chair, 2017; encaustic, rubber, and mixed media on panel
Susan Lasch Krevitt
Bound Trio, 2015; rubber, textiles, and encaustic
Wayne Montecalvo
Say That Again, 2017; watercolor, coffee stain, acrylic, ink, encaustic on handmade and Tengucho papers
A catalog (cover abovet and spread below), viewable at no cost in its entirety, is available online here. My essay and the artists' statements provide more information about the work in the exhibition, and there are forewords by co-curator Mittenthal and museum director, Edith A. Tonelli. Take a look.
Cover design: Jane Guthridge; catalog design: Karen Freedman; editor: Joanne Mattera