The Edgewood Gallery‘s current exhibition covers a lot of territory in a small space. The Sum of Its Parts shifts from whimsical sculptures to large abstract paintings, from paper collages to metal work. And it makes room for a slew of mixed-media works.
“Swing Kid,” Evamaria Hardin’s fine metal sculpture, comes with loops suggesting motion and a set of letters resembling a branding iron. “The Blues,” a painted-metal work, plays with shapes and, yes, blue colors. “Edgar” sits on the floor and extends upward in the manner of a coiled snake. There’s no sense of dread, just an expression of humor. In “Bio Focals in Autumn,” the artist communicates whimsy by wrapping glasses around a bird made from wood.
Those pieces make up just one segment of Hardin’s artworks in the current show. She created an untitled work in which items hinting at red flowers contrast with a wood object looking like a piece of debris. “River Sphinx” combines small stones, a wood exterior and a creature made from wood, demonstrating how an interesting work can emanate from basic materials. “In Jacob’s Ladder,” a mixed-media work, Hardin integrates a grid for backing, a tiny oar, branches and other elements.
Because she has more than a dozen pieces on display at Edgewood, viewers can get a sense of her ability to work either with metal or wood and to successfully design varied artworks.
Ann Skiold, meanwhile, also has variety in her work. The exhibit encompasses her “Improvisation 10,” a small oil with vivid colors and a rough surface, and a large painting, “Santa Barbara CA.” Don’t expect a figurative work depicting people at the beach. This is an abstract piece emphasizing orange and blue colors and a huge expanse of sky.
Beyond that, the show offers a large selection of her collages done with watercolors and mixed media. They range from “Psalms,” featuring a hand holding a Bible, to “Razor’s Edge,” with earth colors, blue sectors and a headless man on a ladder. In “Did He Get Away,” Skiold blends text, shadows and other facets, conveying a sense of menace.
“Cairo,” perhaps the best of her collages, incorporates various shapes. Its centerpiece is an image of a woman whose face joins with an upper and lower body made from visual patterns associated with Egyptian culture.
The Sum of its Parts also includes jewelry from Susan Machamer’s “Puzzle Wear” series. She has bracelets, necklaces and other pieces on display.
This exhibit presents artworks interesting in themselves and with links to other pieces. Even though there are diverse media and artistic approaches, the show never seems out of control. That’s a nice outcome for an exhibition with lots of artworks and possibilities for contrasting and complementing them.
The Sum of its Parts is on display through June 19 at the Edgewood Gallery, 216 Tecumseh Road. The venue is open Tuesdays through Fridays, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call 445-8111.
