[1]
[2] 
[3](Orlando Gallery, San Fernando Valley)
Baudelaire spoke of "correspondences," which refers to the association
between objects and universal shapes, such as the association between natural
forms and human figures. Shapes and forms go through transformations, either
through natural processes like erosion, or through artistic manipulation.
By searching out and working with the inherent mistique of natural materials,
Edie Ellis-Brown connects to correspondences of forms. Consequently, her
works are intimately involved with the transformative process.
Ellis-Brown has long been known for her art books, which include poetic
musings as well as the incorporation of objects. Within the context of her
art, all objects, whether man-made or those found in nature, take on equal
status and importance. Many of her books assumed sculptural configurations
such as lifesized portraits and disjointed body parts. In her latest exhibit,
Sticks & Clay & Books, Ellis-Brown explores the possibilities
natural forms may present, appreciating how materials have a spirit and
a life of their own. She scours Southland beaches gathering shells, stones
and driftwood, as if searching for the inherent animus in natural forms.
Designs and forms created through natural processes, such as twisted and
gnarled driftwood, take on peculiar properties and characterizations that
lend themselves to suggestive images. Varying in shades of ash gray and
brown, Ellis-Brown has imposed her own sense of order on these fanciful
wood pieces, transforming them into whimsical figures and animals. Ranging
in size from 16 to 24 inches, these disjointed and gestural figures dangle
like creatures from a comic puppet show. Their otherworldly appearance evokes
totemic fetish images, a sensibility she also applies to a series of small
stone and clay sculptures.
The evocative power of stone goes back to ancient mystic beliefs. The most
basic of materials, predating metal and plastic, modern artists such as
Brancusi, Henry Moore, and Isamu Noguchi understood that power and drew
much of their inspiration from natural sources. Following in that tradition
Ellis-Brown often derives inspiration from images that small stones and
twigs may convey, but once again she reorganizes nature into visions of
her own creation. The addition of clay parts to transform the images suggested
by objects result in a collection of unique creatures, both pastoral and
human. A pair of arms added to a stone that resembles an ancient goddess
figure, for example, gives her the appearance of reaching out through the
centuries. Once again, Ellis-Brown's sense of whimsy has come into play
and the sculptures evoke an aura of ingenuousness that belie their formal
considerations.
Rocks, shells and driftwood are also untilized as frontpieces for a new
series of books. The drawings within the books continue to celebrate the
intricacies of natural forms. Rocks, geodes, amoebas, plant forms and bark
are either composed directly from na-ture or from biology books. Using different
types of paper with a selection of inks, gouache and prismacolor pencils
that bleed, natural forms and designs are drawn from a variety of vantage
points. Consequently, viewers are able to see nature in new and distinctive
ways. Included also are abstract drawings derived from an interest in African
and North American Indian symbols. As in the past Ellis-Brown adds haiku-like
meditations that include personal observations on nature and everyday realities.
Showing concurrently are Lynne Westmore's wood, clay and paper sculptures.
In an exhibit titled Venice, Florence, and Other Personal Journeys Westmore's
visions are influenced by art seen during a trip to Italy. Like Ellis-Brown,
she utilizes materials such as driftwood and clay. But she evokes a darker,
more intense imagery. Mary, The Annunciation, for instance, is influenced
by religious paintings. Constructed of paper, cloth and clay on a wood framework,
the piece evokes a Mary who is unreconciled to her fate. In The Ninth
Circle, horrified faces writhing on twisted driftwood conjure up visions
of Dante's Inferno.
