Ron Nagle
Bookends, Weeoramas and Flareware
Apr 16 - May 30, 2009

During April and May the GEORGE ADAMS GALLERY presents an exhibition of new work by RON NAGLE. The exhibition consists of eight new small-scale ceramic sculptures and ten pencil studies. Nagle’s second exhibition with the gallery and his first in the main gallery space represents a dramatic shift in his sculpture and a newfound emphasis on drawing.

Titled Bookends, Weeoramas and Flareware, Nagle continues his exploration of texture, color relationships and complex layering of glazes while introducing new elements such as two-part sculptures, cut-outs, and subtle shifts in scale. He also uses realistic as well as surrealistic forms to create explicit environments, taking inspiration from a number of sources including Salvador Dali, Antoni Tapies, Japanese rock gardens, even the humble taco.

For example, in Pezimistic, 2009, one of the Bookends, Nagle places two tall “L” shaped elements back to back, just barely separated, and then adds an intriguing narrative element in the form of pile of miniature bricks to the front piece. In an even bolder departure from his earlier work, Spit Shine, 2009, a Weeorama, resembles a mini stage set with overtly surrealist elements such as a tree-like shape and a pile of bricks. And in his Flareware piece Beirut Canal, 2009, Nagle joins two textured planes at the top but splays them out at the bottom, the front and back planes flexed, giving the work a surprising sense of animation.

There will be a reception for the artist on Thursday, April 23, from 6 to 8pm in the gallery.