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Indepth Arts News:
"Richard Bostrom - Werner Glinka: Explorations in 3D and 2D"
2003-01-02 until 2003-01-30
Elizabeth Norton Studio, Pacific Art League
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USA United States of America
The Elizabeth Norton Studio of the Pacific Art League of Palo Alto, presents “Explorations in 3D and 2D” a survey of recent work by Richard Bostrom and Werner Glinka. Opening January 2, 2003 and on view through January 30, 2003, the exhibition will feature 12 sculptures and 3 paintings by Richard Bostrom and 10 collages and assemblages by Werner Glinka. Claudia Morgan, Pacific Art League Executive Director, says “the Elizabeth Norton Studio is our premier gallery for solo and small group shows of our members. We are delighted to feature together two artists whose work is highly complementary in concept and in form.”
Richard Bostrom’s sculptures are made from wood, much of which is recycled or is collected from scrap piles. Leaving some imperfections, such as knots, cracks and splits in some of the pieces, he uses these features to remind himself of his own imperfection and life’s journey. In his work, the juxtaposition of shapes, grain, color and line blend together, often in a whimsical, playful manor with occasional satirical overtones, producing sculptures that may viewed in a lighthearted, serious or contemplative way. Most of Bostrom’s recent work is small, less than 30 inches in height. The sculptures are intended to be part of an environment, so they can be experienced from different angles and points of view.
Bostrom has lived in Santa Clara County, Calif. all his life, and currently resides in Sunnyvale, where he maintains a studio and works full time as a painter and sculptor. He graduated from the College of Notre Dame in 1971, with a BFA, and went to work in local industry doing sign and graphic work, while pursuing his interest in painting and sculpture. In 1998, he left the industrial environment to spend full time on art.
Glinka’s collages focus on ordinary objects and materials exposing their unexpected beauty in his abstract collages and assemblages. He consciously imposes formal order in his work while choosing materials that introduce the randomness of nature. In his work he transforms an ordinary, familiar object into the centerpiece of a collage allowing it to transcend its original meaning. His technique involves combining found objects, natural and man-made, including sand, ash and paint, to create collages of layered structure. His inspiration comes from everyday found objects, a fallen leaf, a rusty rebar; a crack in the asphalt of a parking lot that might trigger an initial mental image. Ideas are further developed through rough sketches. The actual collage is created on wood panel.
Glinka was raised in the industrial city of Gelsenkirchen, Germany, where he developed an aesthetic sensibility shaped by the stark, industrial environment. He came to California in 1981. After he moved to the Santa Cruz Mountains, he developed his unique style of collage combining the influences of the sleek, steel-and-glass modernism of the Bauhaus movement with the simple, functional grace of Japanese landscapes.
The Pacific Art League has been a gathering place and source of inspiration and instruction in fine arts since 1921. Founded as "The Palo Alto Art Club," the Pacific Art League offers a valuable addition to the San Francisco Peninsula's cultural life. The Art League is located in downtown Palo Alto at 668 Ramona Street.
The Elizabeth Norton Studio is named for one of the Palo Alto Art Club's founding members. Located on the second floor, this studio features monthly solo artist and small group shows, critiques, lectures, and meetings.
IMAGE:
Werner Glinka
Circular Uncertainty
40 x 52 inches
Pine needles, metal band and acrylic on wood
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