Human/Nature
Human/Nature pairs the murals of Judy Salton with the 3-D clay figures of Karen Kuff-Demicco for a month long exhibit at the Cooperative Gallery JUne 7th through June 29th, 2013. The Artists’ Reception is Saturday June 8th from 12-4 pm when an English tea will be served and the artists will be on hand for discussion.
They will give talks with the theme “Human/Nature in Art Throughout History” Third Thursday June 20, at 7 pm. There will also be a Closing Reception with a movie from 1-4 pm.
The title of our show groups two words with distinct meanings. The noun “human” means a person; a bipedal primate mammal. As an adjective, it pertains to humans or their characteristics. “Nature” is a noun meaning either the physical world (non-man made) or the basic essence or behavior of a person or thing. Putting these two words together as the theme of this show allows us to explore their meaning and implications from different directions and raises several questions. What is a human? What is nature? What is the nature of humans? What happens when humans confront nature or nature confronts humans? What is inherent in human nature is the question that has stimulated my work.
All of my pieces in the show are an investigation of a condition or emotion related to human nature. I have not tried to cover every human emotion or trait, I am not sure that is possible. I have used faces, the human figure, and animals from nature to comment on human/nature. For example, “Voice from Within” portrays a single person listening and reacting to a voice that is giving advice. This voice is internal and derived from memories of external words that could come from a variety of influences: parents, authority, friends, evil, a ghost, or even from herself. It could be judgmental or supportive. She has a choice of reactions. This pieces explores what drives decision making; what motivates human actions.
My medium is primarily clay, although I have started incorporating found wood and other items in my work. I love the immediate response inherent in manipulating clay. It offers great potential to see my ideas take form. My work is figurative, narrative, and somewhat representational with a gestural touch. I am pursuing several veins of work based on human nature. I have been using the human face in particular, the human figure, and animals incorporated with a contrasting structure or subtle nuance to tell a story.
Karen Kuff-Demicco- Faces, figures, grids, and animals, inspire Karen in her narrative, slightly representational, sometimes gestural, ceramic sculptures. She uses subtle nuances of emotions though color and form to enhance her story. Recently Karen was a resident at Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts in Maine. She has a BFA in Sculpture from Binghamton University and has attended Alfred University’s summer Ceramic Class for many years. She has taken workshops from many places, most recently an Immersion Course at Anderson Ranch in Colorado. She has been working in clay for over 20 years, formerly as a teacher and now as a private studio artist.