Jerry Bennett: Constructing Form
Resident Artist Solo Exhibition
February 2-25, 2007Opening Reception First Friday,February 2, 5-9pm
Jerry Bennett is a former Resident Artist of The Clay Studio. He left the program this past August, after staying the full five years the program allows. He is now working in his own studio in Philadelphia. The work included this exhibition is the culmination of his time spent in Residence.
Jerry creates sculptures that allude to vessel forms. Using porcelain paper clay in their construction, his pieces are architectural in nature and use hundreds of similar parts in their creation. His base skeletal forms serve as a foundation for the addition of various elements, both ceramic and wire, that move freely in space. This contrast, between the static and expressive, creates an interesting tension within each of the pieces he makes.
"It is my aspiration as an artist to create objects with a strong visual identity ususally in the form of small sculptural structures. The work in this show is made from porcelain paper clay which is a handmade mixture of clay and paper pulp. The paper fibers provide a textural component and strengthen the otherwise thin, fragile elements from which each form is built. With this reinforced strength, I have been able to make intricately assembled lattice-like vessels where the scaffolding defines the overall form. A strong characteristic of my work is the use of an open grid format emphasizing positive and negative space that is simultaneously airy yet dense with pattern and repetition. I feel this presents an opposing dynamic. This work is both architectural and organic with the forms structurally standing, yet appearing tenous."
"It is always difficult to explain my art in that it is very personal and based on a process of discovery. I am reminded of the artist Peter Milton, when asked to write a statement defining his art replied, "I would be a sad father indeed if these children wern't able to speak for themselves." -Jerry Bennett
