Seizing the light
the sculpture of tamara robertson

january 25 - February 23, 2019
Coolspace @ artspace

Through use of everyday (sometimes mundane) objects, Tamara Robertson creates unfamiliar and enchanted collections of the collected items. Each piece is made of a repetition of recognizable individual elements which result in an unfamiliar new object, ranging from discarded firecracker tubes to soda pop caps, to buttons, to scrap hardware. The works seen in this exhibition truly do transport the view to an otherworldly place.

STATEMENT FROM THE ARTIST

Making art has been essential to my life since my earliest memories. I have always had a passion for drawing, painting, and making objects from various odds and ends encountered in my living space.

I still thrive on the influence of my surroundings, thus many of my art works begin as ordinary or “found” objects, coming from my sojourns across the southern U.S. and the environment surrounding my studio on Caddo Lake. When I begin a new art object, it can start as a particular shape I wish to build upon, a new texture I want to explore, or a new material that intrigues me. Something ordinary can be extraordinary.

The current body of work which makes up Seizing the Light had its genesis in a period of recovery and discovery after completely losing my identity as “artist” during my late husband’s struggle with stage 4 colon cancer. For quite some time, the world was black and devoid of the magic I was certain had always existed. Bit by bit after my husband’s passing, I slogged through other creative processes which appeared to have nothing to do directly with the visual arts. Forcing myself into the discipline of those processes helped rekindle my brain’s creative side and gradually gave me confidence I could regain my absent but beloved bond with the visual arts. The magic–the light which comes with life and creativity—was recoverable.

My hope is that in attending this show, you, my viewers, will feel a sense of elation in seeing everyday objects taken out of their ordinary context and placed into an unfamiliar and enchanted setting. While the works are non- objective, each piece is made of a repetition of recognizable individual elements which result in an unfamiliar new object, ranging from discarded firecracker tubes to soda pop caps, to buttons, to scrap hardware.

Each art work in this exhibition has a minimum of two separate states of being. The first state is that of an artwork normally viewed, with appropriate lighting to accentuate the elements. The second is with the overhead lights reduced, allowing the art to shine from within as you find the light and potential mystery it holds.

EXHIBITING ARTIST:
Tamara Robertson

ARTIST BIO

Tamara Robertson, a native of Texas, now lives and works in the magical cypress woods of Northwest Louisiana. Tamara thrives upon the influence of her surroundings. Thus many of her materials have come from sojourns across the southern portion of the United States and the wild environment surrounding her home and studio. She responds to this stimulation by inventing new techniques, acquiring new skills and striving to make each new work innovative in some way.

See more artwork and updates from the artist at http://www.tamararobertsonart.com .