Growing Towards the Sun
About the exhibition:
Growing Towards the Sun features work by painter Elizabeth Castiglione and sculptor Emily Squires Levine. Emily uses layers of polymer clay to create patterned canes that are then sliced into the components that make up her work. She layers the pieces one on top of the other to build the flora up and out. The end result is a stunning display of colorful fields and swirling stems that are used as a vessel for flower pots. Elizabeth depicts compositions of sunflowers in all stages of their life cycle. Exploring ideas of mental illness and fragility, her depictions of these joyful flowers remind us that even decay exists in beauty and that even in the dark, the sunflower will find the light. Both artists play with the idea of flowers to represent the human experience, from Emily’s playful depictions of bushes and bouquets to Elizabeth’s balance of growth and decay in her sunflower fields.
About the Artists:
Elizabeth Castiglione
Artist Statement
My most recent body of work explores images of sunflowers in various states of growth and decay as a metaphor for mental illness. These paintings, oil on canvas, range from 24” x 24” to 96” x 60.” All my work since 1997 has been a sustained inquiry into autobiographical themes, namely mental illness, memory, and family.
Artist Bio
Elizabeth Castiglione lives and works in Bucks County with her family at George School, a Quaker boarding and day school for teenagers. She received her BA from Yale University and her MFA from the University of Washington, Seattle. She has taught people of most ages, and is currently considering the possibility of pursuing a Masters degree in Art Therapy.
Emily Squires Levine
Artist Statement
Exploiting the properties of polymer clay, I translate my love of color and pattern into vessels of many sizes and shapes. Using the Italian millefiori technique, I layer hand blended colors of polymer clay to create designs which run through the entire length of the "cane". Canes can be combined endlessly, then stretched without disturbing the integrity of the interior design. I build the vessel on a form, juxtaposing slices of canes of contrasting colors, shapes, patterns and complexity; often I incorporate open space between the slices as part of the design. After curing in a convection oven, I sand the outside of the vessel and release it from its mold. Each piece is one-of-a-kind. The result excites me, and I am gratified to share it with others.
