SUSAN AMORDE
May 9 – June 8, 2015 Please join us
Saturday May 9
Noon – 4PM View the artwork and installations Porch Gallery Ojai & Ojai Art Center
4-5 PM Panel Discussion Moderated by ViCA Director Juri Koll Next to Porch Gallery Ojai at Modern Folk Living
5-7 PM Opening Reception Porch Gallery Ojai PLEASE RSVP TO info@porchgallery.com
“Following on the acclaim and success of their Water Works show, the Porch Gallery Ojai and The Venice Institute of Contemporary Art (ViCA) present Water Works II, an international exhibition including works from as far away as China. The exhibition runs May 9 through June 8, 2015. Water Works II is broadly focused on the myriad issues related to water – from its beauty, its scarcity, its importance to human life, the politics of it, to its environmental issues and beyond.
Spread between the exhibition space at Porch Gallery Ojai and The Ojai Art Center the show will feature 70 pieces of work by 54 artists*. In addition to the gallery venues, three commissioned sculptures will be installed in and around Ojai by artists KuBo (Besant Hill School), Sonja Schenk (The Farmer and the Cook) and Alberto Bevacqua (Porch Gallery Ojai).
During the opening weekend, on Saturday, May 9th, a panel discussion moderated by ViCA Director Juri Koll regarding water issues will be held next to Porch Gallery Ojai at Modern Folk Living from 4-5 p.m. Liam Carpenter-Urquhart, a senior from The Thacher School in Ojai, will present a poem to open the discussion. On Sunday, May 10th, Johnny Fonteyn of Rio Gozo Farms will conduct a special tour of his organic farm in upper Ojai at Besant Hill School covering topics such as organic farming in Ojai, water use and conservation in a farm setting, and the farms role and impact on the natural ecosystem.”
SUSAN AMORDE ~ My practice explores the human form and emotions as we navigate life’s challenges. Working in an expressionistic style, I primarily work in clay, wax, plaster, bronze, and have been working more and more with mixed media. I usually sculpt the figure from live models, but also use photographic and other references. Sculpting more traditional representations of the figure and portraiture are also of interest to me.
The series, “Baggage”, is a personal examination of the universal themes associated with how what we carry around impacts our identity. Apart from the literal meaning of “baggage”, everyone carries with them baggage in the figurative, emotional or metaphysical sense. My work investigates how such baggage is perceived, how it feels, and how it impacts the living of our lives. I sculpt figures and portraits in bronze or terracotta, and integrate them with sculpted or real suitcases, suitcase parts, and other mixed media. More recent works in the series are large installation of suitcases and other found objects. Future projects will include installations with multi-media elements of found objects, audio and video.
There is also an element of whimsy in some of my work, such as in “Maura”, and The “Dick and Jane” series explores relationships through irony.
I am drawn to sculpting the human form in narratives about challenges and mysteries in life. Equally appealing to me are portraits and studies of the figure that are celebrations of individuality. For me, sculpting people and their “baggage” provides me with an endlessly fascinating journey of creative expression.
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