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Sayles School of Fine Arts
January 22 2010

Ginger Ertz Showing in the Butzel Gallery

Ginger Ertz's new show titled Current Work"  is showing in the Butzel Gallery from January 6 - February 26.

An artist's opening will be held on February 11 from 6 - 8 pm in the gallery.

Ginger Ertz
Artist’s Statement 

I am a sculptor, working primarily in chenille stems.  My forms are abstract yet organic, pulled out of my subconscious. They recall simple life-forms like underwater creatures, fantastic plants, or imaginary animals, often incorporating radial symmetry into the composition, at times mingled with references to architectural elements. In this body of work I am also exploring ways to depict the movement of water.  They are visual ideas brought to life, evolving as they grow in my hands. Creating these three-dimensional pieces feels like drawing in air with the stems in the same intuitive way that I draw on paper.  

Chenille stems are the perfect medium for me, the wire in the center of each stem allowing me to build up a solid armature with no added materials, while the fibers create the surface.  Their fuzziness often brings to mind a favorite old bathrobe or bedspread, while eliciting the joy of mixing art and play in childhood.  

My process is both intentional and intuitive.  Each step leads to the next, allowing for unexpected changes of direction. Because the work is slow and meditative, I work out ideas in my head and my hands as I go along, determining the next step just as I arrive at its threshold, resolving structural or aesthetic problems that might have seemed insurmountable a few hours before.  It is an act of trust that my hands will know what to do just in time to do it.  Because my work evolves in the making, I see it as a direct metaphor for change over time. I allow each sculpture to grow and change as it will, accepting each stage as appropriate for its time and place, just as we must learn to do in life.

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Sayles School
of Fine Arts