FFWD Weekly
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| Visual Arts by Mark Walton Exhibit Preview Situated on restaurant row at 21 Avenue and 4th St S.W., The Croft has the appearance of an antique shop, the kind of place you would want to spend a bit of time snooping around in, searching for eccentric artsy treasures. In its front window there’s an assortment of unique handcrafted objects such as a yellow clay sun hat, sculpted fountain, hulking wooden statue of a moustachioed Mountie, and the ceramic caricature of a queen, her thick-lipped mawkish grin exerting a less than regal presence. The Croft has been a fixture on Calgary’s art scene for a quarter of a century – you may remember its former location across from Mount Royal Village on 8 Street S.W. Currently it’s owned and operated by Doris Schuh, who purchased it a year and a half ago after the original owners, Betty Anne Graves and Audrey Mabee, called it quits. Schuh, who moved here from Pennsylvania in the ’60s, had been involved in medical research for the previous 35 years, but retired as a "matter of conscience" when the hospital lab she managed was privatized. As well, Schuh has produced her own artwork – in the ’70s fashioning a ceramic wall for Charley’s restaurant and bar – and she also served on the executive of the Alberta Potters Association. The Croft represents over 100 western Canadian artists working with glass, jewelry, painting and other media. Art objects range from Nelson, B.C. sculptor Rod Taylor’s Mountie in the window, to the delicate paper albums and journals prepared by Ksenia Kopystynska of Edmonton, who holds a masters degree in restoration of archival materials. Schuh is optimistic she can apply her managerial and scientific skills to running The Croft; for instance, the amicable, knowledgeable gallery owner has begun spotlighting one or two different artists each month. This she believes "puts a face on the people who make the art, gives them recognition and strokes – often they tend to beat themselves up." Although Schuh admits she’s putting in just as many hours now as she did in the medical field, she says they’re "non-stress" hours. "I’m surrounded by beautiful objects and wonderful people. The artists who create this kind of art aren’t hostile or aggressive, they’re peaceful and down-to-earth." She points to the husband and wife duo of Gordon and Martha James who operate a pottery studio at their home on Quandra Island near Campbell River. Both were born in Calgary, and after completing their studies in Alberta in the ’70s, moved to the island where they’ve been making a living from their art ever since. Gordon James’s forte lies in witty figurative pieces like Royal Bust, the two-and-a-half-feet high portrait head in the gallery’s window. If you take a closer look at this luscious ceramic sculpture you’ll notice elaborate detail on the purple-gold crown and the queen’s etched skin, and if you examine her highness’s mouth more carefully you’ll discover she literally eats her subjects. Other funky works include Fierce Dog, a primitive looking grey and white spotted beast, and You Were on My Mind, which consists of a tiny head and torso sprouting from the hair of a larger cartoonish face. However, as James explains in his artist statement, he and his wife are also obligated to "pay bills and feed the children" and so he often attempts to combine his satirical and figurative imagery with utilitarian objects, such as a pair of whimsical vessels modelled like a hot tub containing a nude couple. Martha Nickoloff James’s ceramic ware is just as skillfully made but designed to be more functional. Featuring fruit and flower motifs and hearty color schemes of greenish yellow and purple, or orange-brown and black, she has assembled an extensive array of cruet and tea sets, candle holders, trivets, handles, platters and plates. The third artist getting top billing at The Croft at this time is Calgary potter Franco Lo Pinto. Born in Italy, he has studied art in Mexico and received numerous awards. Worth noting is a group of tall slender urns that are visually striking in their simplicity. By utilizing two types of clay, Lo Pinto has created a striated pattern on these elegant vessels – some of which are over three-feet high – like stripes on a tiger. The stripes are either smooth or white or darker in tone, rough and gritty and the urns are glazed or vitrified inside, making them functional as well. |
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