Once upon a time, in a magical kingdom far, far away, there lived a princess who had been locked in a tower for an entire century. The only things keeping her in, were the make believe animals in the ceramic exhibit where former and current PCC students were featured.On Saturday, dozens of beatnik and artsy fans drank wine and joined the artists as they unveiled their collections at LittleBird Gallery in Atwater Village.
‘Don’t Fence Me In’ is an exhibition of work from three different artists using ceramics.
“The title of the show is both personal to me and reflective of what each artist is trying to do within the given parameters of the ceramic process,” said Alicia Cheatham, guest curator for the exhbit. “It is a title of a song written by Cole Porter and Robert Fletcher in 1934. The song is a call to live a life of no boundaries, free to roam and discover the open country that’s available to us.”
Carlos Ramirez, former student and ceramics lab tech at PCC, displayed work from his ‘You and Me’ collection. Ramirez exhibited hand made plates with broken shards he had collected from other students’ discarded remains.
“In working with many unknown collaborators, and the always evolving process,” said Ramirez. ” I am examining relationships and the way we affect and influence each other.”
His work includes two series. ‘A Self Portrait’, which is red, symbolizing the internal make up of a person, it stands six feet tall like the artist and is proportionate with the average body type.
‘The War’ is gunmetal grey symbolizing the ash and oil involved in a war. Its chaotic arrangement resembles the shrapnel left over after or during a war. It’s evidence of the influence politics has on the arts.
Calandra Sandoval, current PCC student, features dogs, pangolins, jars and mounted heads. The creatures are reminiscent of a mythic world where magic and dragons exist. The kind of fantasy seen in fairytales.
“I throw clay by an overwhelming desire to unleash my animalistic creativity,” said Sandoval. “As if I’m a vessel commanded by the spirits of these animals to portray their inner psyche.”
The visible skeletons on the mounted heads show the intricacies and details she puts into her work. Sandoval did not lack imagination when arranging her exhibit.
For their first time displaying their ceramic works in a gallery,” said Jim Gonzales, a ceramics instructor. “They did an amazing job.”
The third artist Elyse Pignolet, a CSU Long Beach graduate, displayed sculptures resembling graffiti. Some were mounted on the wall with a more than fitting background. The rest stood on shelves.
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