Confluence Art Exhibit August 18, 2007

A dramatic new exhibition of “Rust Prints” and “Hybrid Sculpture” examines the nature and process of merging elements. The show, Confluence, will feature the work internationally exhibited SLCC Meramec professor Joe Chesla. The exhibit will run August 18 through October 6, 2007 with the opening reception on August 18, 7 – 11 p.m. The reception is free and open to the public.

The series of nearly a dozen sculptures and forty-two prints represent the artist’s exploration into the idea of confluence: the flowing together of two entities at a single juncture or point. The sculptural pieces embody that moment when the convergence of two powerful elements, in this case iron and wood, resonate into a true and harmonious union. Combining wood and skillfully crafted metal parts, Chesla creates unique, yet oddly familiar sculptures which seem to tell part of a larger story. Chelsa challenges conventional aesthetics, daring us to see art in his sculptural hybrids of nature and industrialization. The “Minerals Prints” continue this process-oriented approach. Working directly with the metal plates and printmaking paper, the artist couples the two elements together for days or weeks in the process of making a “print.” A confluence is achieved by immersing the paper and metal plate in liquid and allowing them to merge though drying and rewetting stages. When the impregnation and layering of iron oxide and salt attain an intriguing state, the print is complete.

According to Chelsa, “The process of both works is pure and intuitive. There is little study or plan to what is happening in the studio. More so these pieces can be viewed as moments within an event, snapshots, if you will, of my ever-constructing mind.”

phd gallery is located at 2300 Cherokee Street in St. Louis. Hours are noon to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. www.phdstl.com 314.664.664.

High resolution images are available upon request.
For more information about phd gallery, or to schedule an interview with the gallery owner, Philip Hitchcock, or the artist, contact Image Works at 314.367.7376.

Official Website: http://www.phdstl.com