Morris Arts’ GALLERY at 14 MAPLE: A SURE HAND; Free Sassona Norton Lecture

Over 150 people attended the February 25th opening reception for Morris Arts’ its thirteenth exhibit, A SURE HAND,  at the Gallery at 14 Maple.  Artists Sassona Norton (Bedminster), Doug DePice (Secaucus), Neal Korn (Union) and Arlene Gale Milgram (Trenton) were there, and spoke with members of the public about their works. Commenting on the Exhibition Committee’s process for the show, Curator Dick Eger noted: “We selected works that embodied the defining element of drawings – simplicity….
Drawing juxtaposes the austerity of the single line with the power of the image that emerges. It is the sure hand of these artists that transforms the humble into the extraordinary.”

Left: Sassona Norton’s drawing,  Gift.

Responding to the “rich architecture” of hands, Sassona Norton’s works focus on the intricacies and complexity of the hand.  Providing Norton with its variety of shapes and forms, the hand can mark the passing of time and express a remarkable range of emotions through gesture and position. By using a much larger scale, filling an entire canvas with hands, Norton intensifies the details of the hands, capturing a sculptural quality, implying what is absent and reflecting both tangible and intangible qualities of humanity. As Curator Eger adds,  Norton philosophizes  “about the shortness of life, the concept of yearning, the sadness of want and the fierce desire to change reality. She effortlessly folds these themes into her exuberant charcoals of hands.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L-R: Doug DePice’s Portrait of Anne Frank with Tape; Neal Korn’s drawing, Head Over to Seaport Marine.

With work that is both visceral and metaphorical, Doug DePice captures the horror of the Holocaust in his dark and powerful drawings.  Inspired by Eli Wiesel’s book, Night, Depice describes his works such as The Chimneys  thus: “I found the imagery of the smoke to appear heavy with the death of countless souls, and also thick with madness.” Images of the Crematorium are “succinct, frightening” and he adds, “To me, these forms are like giant tombstones of history.” With his portraits of Anne Frank, DePice strives to give some artistic expression to Anne Frank’s haunting words. In the portrait of Anne’s face with tape and charcoal, he states, “I wanted the surface to be scarred, marked and ripped as a visual reminder of the distress, anxiety, and uneasiness which gnawed daily at Anne’s psychological well-being.” DePice wants art to be a light in a world filled with the “darkness of ignorance and hate.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L-R: Doug DePice’s drawing,The Chimneys; Arlene Gale Milgram’s drawing, Constant Motion.

Artist Arlene Gale Milgram considers her art to be abstract but, at its core, her way “of processing my life experience.” She channels her thoughts and works in different densities and rhythms, often reclaiming resources from “failed” works to start new pieces. Mixed media works are layered as is life – “full of false starts and new beginnings.”  She adds, “The scars that remain are maps of time and experience.”  More  recently, she has focused on aging, support systems and “the fragile threads that hold us together.”  She doesn’t expect the viewer to read her “story” in the works but rather to engage them, involve them in her images and enable them to connect to “shared humanity.”

The drawings of Neal Korn present us with a unique juxtaposition of familiar imagery and unusual, striking perspectives. A simple portrait is literally “turned on its head” in a wash of color in Head Over to Seaport Marine and his portrayal of iconic images such as Lincoln’s monument or the Union Cannon grab the eye with their imaginative and dramatic vantage points as well as with a touch of humor and whimsy. “That is my head being blown out of the cannon,” he remarked. His “Icon” series includes drawings of images from Sandy Hook (NJ), Philadelphia (PA), NYC (NY) and Baltimore (MD).  Combining a tight, analytical drawing style with the “loose” application of rice paper, to provide texture and contrast and add an intuitive component, Korn creates images of dramatic and intriguing appeal.

Each of these four artists uses the medium of drawing to capture subtleties, delicacy, monumentalism and gesture in distinctive and memorable ways. Not the two dimensional tracing of a line on a surface here -but rather the power, the volume, motion and weight of each artist’s vision is captured in these exceptional and dramatic drawings which redefine the usual understanding of this medium and enhance our appreciation of its inherent magic.

To view the catalogue for this exhibit, click HERE.

 UPCOMING FREE LECTURE BY SASSONA NORTON
on her sculpture and the importance of monuments

April 1, 2015 at Park Avenue Club, Florham Park

Please join Morris Arts on Wednesday, April 1st, at the Park Avenue Club for a free lecture by the artist Sassona Norton on her sculpture and the importance of monuments. This evening is the first in a series of special conversations with artists who share their artistic outlook with the public in an intimate and festive setting. Morris Arts selected sculptor Sassona Norton as the first artist in the series due to the public aspect of her unique vision.

Register HERE today. Please RSVP by Wednesday, March 25, 2015. 

 

Left: Sassona Norton’s monumental bronze 9/11 Memorial (Montgomery County, PA)

The 9/11 Memorial that Norton installed in Pennsylvania made her acutely aware of the role public-art takes in our life. In an exciting evening, the artist will tell the story of the 9/11 Memorial that propelled her to recently embark on planning a Hurricane Sandy monument to celebrate people’s strength against crisis. In a talk that includes a slide-show and a short movie about the 9/11 Memorial, Sassona Norton will unveil her plan for an incredible, dynamic and huge monument to Hurricane Sandy. Installed at the Hudson Waterfront, the monument will combine a sculpture of very large hands and a dramatic water-theater. On a clear day, it will be seen from as far as Lower Manhattan.

Sculptor Sassona Norton

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L-R:  Other remarkable, monumental sculptures by Norton: To Whom Do I Pray, A Question of Certainty, and Touch.

Please plan to arrive at 6:45. The talk will start promptly at 7:00 and will be followed by a desert buffet and fruit, coffee and tea.

Park Avenue Club is located at 184 Park Avenue, Florham Park, NJ 07932

Admission is free – reservations are required.
Register HERE today. Please RSVP by Wednesday, March 25, 2015. 

Photos from the opening reception of A Sure Hand:

and some additional photos, courtesy of photographer Michael Gale:

 

Morris Arts gratefully acknowledges sponsorship for this exhibit by

 

 

and additional support from

 

 

The exhibit is open to the public Monday-Friday from 10am to 4pm and by appointment, and will remain on display until August 27, 2015.  Visit www.morrisarts.org or call (973) 285-5115 for additional information, including the exhibit catalogue which contains details and sale prices for all works. The Gallery at 14 Maple is a barrier-free facility. Individuals needing special accommodation should contact Kadie Dempsey at (973) 285-5115, x 17 or kdempsey@morrisarts.org.