Having the renowned Peters Valley Craft Center in close proximity to where I live isn’t too bad, especially when their own Sally D. Francisco Gallery hosts first-rate exhibitions. This especially holds true for each season’s Faculty and Studio Assistant Exhibition; running from June 2 through August 5, 2012.
Brenda Quinn (Photo: Peters Valley Craft Center)
Peters Valley’s faculty line-up is comprised of an all-star list, and among the group, assistants who are not short on star-power themselves. If you’re in the area, be sure to stop by, it is well worth the trip.
Bennet Bean (Photo: Peters Valley Craft Center)
The exhibit is quite comprehensive; many artists working in many styles and mediums. And while I can appreciate the skill and knowledge needed to produce such fine work, such as Ana M. Lopez’s Alchemist’s Wedding Band – so wonderfully epic in its ability to express the dichotomy of sheer volume against such miniscule proportions, I do look to see what’s going on in clay.
Susan Beecher (Photo: Peters Valley Craft Center)
Here, I’m once again taken by Brenda Quinn’s gentle touch when orchestrating the “layers” of her work, a potter whom I first met at Old Church in 2011. And on two-dimensional plane, the same can be said for Bennet Bean’s masterful surface treatment; graphics that gently echo forms, so complex in their own right. Susan Beecher’s “Landscape Casserole” incorporates a fine mix between painting and drawing on clay that seems to conjure up a feeling of wind-blown afternoon. Sum total, a whole host of other great talent is also found at Peters Valley, whether on exhibit, or teaching workshops throughout the seasons.
The Sally D. Francisco Gallery is located on the second floor of the Craft Store at Peters Valley Craft Center, 19 Kuhn Rd., Layton, NJ 07851. Or, you can visit the exhibition online by clicking here, or on any image above.
