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Named for the two types of geometry—2D and 3D—“Plane & Solid” presents work by four artists who experiment with shape, pattern, and color to create work with strong geometric structure.
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© 2013 Lillstreet Art Center4401 N. Ravenswood Ave.Chicago, IL 60640
Artwork © the artists. Text © Tracey Morrison.Photographs by Joe Tighe. Design by Jess Mott Wickstrom.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, or by any electronic or mechanical means, without permission in writing from Lillstreet Art Center.
Cover: Hans Peter Sundquist, Lacrosse, 2012
S U G G E S T I V E S H A P E S
by Tracey Morrison
collection of brightly colored, heavily
patterned, and sharply angled work that
transforms the gallery into a geometric
landscape.
The paintings of Hans Peter Sundquist
are the backdrop for this landscape.
Using spray paint on fabric and laminate,
Sundquist layers abstracted patterns of
differing colors on top of each other,
creating a sense of depth and dimension.
The intimate sizes of the paintings draw
the viewer close. At such short distance,
the texture of the fabric or laminate
becomes noticeable, adding another
layer of pattern below the paint. The
use of spray paint creates a translucent
quality that allows the colors to fade
and meld together, almost making it
To an artist, a story can begin with a simple
shape. An oval can represent a human
head. Four lines can form a rectangle and
turn into a rendering of a car. A piece
of clay can be rolled into a sphere and a
functional vessel is waiting to be formed.
Shapes and their properties within
space are the basis of geometry. Though
mathematical thinking and creativity
have a reputation of being controlled on
opposite sides of the brain, many visual
artists effectively employ geometry in
their practice. In “Plane & Solid”, four
artists expose the aesthetics of math
through the use of shape, pattern, color,
and line. From functional ceramics to wall
sculpture and paintings, the work of Marc
Digeros, Mark Pharis, Alison Reintjes, and
Hans Peter Sundquist forms a harmonious
a narrative, which could imply the frames
were meant to hold a family portrait;
yet, the negative space within the frames
highlights the absence of any image and
evokes a sense of yearning or nostalgia.
Just as an oval can represent a human
head, this piece conveys an emotional
narrative solely through the use of shapes
and their arrangement.
Negative space is also a powerful feature
in the work of Mark Pharis. His group of
three brilliant yellow vases have lively
gestures, which seem to originate more
from where the clay is absent rather than
where the clay is present. The opening
of each vase looks as though it was
physically cut out of the top of the form.
This negative space is so intentional and
prominent that it gives the existing form
a playful expression. When grouped
together, the vases seem to interact with
each other and create an almost theatrical
difficult to discern which color was placed
on top of the other. The repetition of
intersecting lines leads the eye across
the work in all directions. The depth and
movement begins to feel encompassing,
almost reminiscent of a familiar space or
environment.
Also lining the walls are three ceramic
wall sculptures by Alison Reintjes. All are
composed of several repeating shapes,
arranged to create a larger formation.
In this way, the individual pieces of the
structure are used as patterns themselves,
displayed in a manner that suggests
movement and interaction. Particularly
striking is Reintjes’ Double Portrait, which
utilizes the simplicity of an arch form.
Eight arches are arranged into two oval
shapes, creating two empty frames. The
two frame-like configurations are placed
on the wall at a distance so close that they
almost touch each other. The title hints at
scene. The deliberately drastic and angular
openings of the vases are a characteristic
of Pharis’ building process, which he
likens to sewing or metalworking. Pharis
maps out his constructions using two-
dimensional patterns on paper, which are
translated onto clay slabs and built into
forms.
Marc Digeros also begins his process using
two-dimensional sketches. However,
drawing influence from architectural
design, he employs the modeling software
AutoCAD to plan his constructions.
Digeros’ procedure is detectable in his
slab-built forms because he leaves the
seams from his building process visible.
The surface of the earthenware clay is
treated with vivid colors and is accented
with lines that zigzag about the work,
as if an eraser was dragged around the
piece in a frenetic manner, removing color
from the surface. Acting as an energetic
pathway, these lines twist and turn in
seemingly random motion, guiding the
eye around the work with enthusiasm
and speed. The careful process in the
construction of the vessels contrasts
these freeform lines. As is the nature of
clay, neither is perfect, thus displaying the
work of the hand within the meticulous
production of each piece.
Simple shapes, angles, and lines can imply
complex forms and ideas. Evoking feelings
of familiarity, space, longing, playfulness,
and motion, the work in “Plane & Solid”
not only exemplifies the use of geometry
in construction of artwork, but also
encourages the viewer to interpret the
story suggested by the shapes.
Tracey Morrison holds a BFA in Ceramics from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and is Gallery Assistant at Lillstreet Art Center.
M A R C D I G E R O S grew up in Fridley, Minnesota and received his
BFA from the University of Minnesota in 1995. After earning his MFA
from the University of Washington in Seattle, he moved to Helena,
Montana to work as a resident artist at the Archie Bray Foundation
where he received the first ever Taunt Fellowship. In 2000, Digeros
moved to Los Angeles where he still resides and works for architect
Frank Gehry as Model Shop Manager, an integral position that makes
the everyday production of architectural models possible.
Geometry has always been a starting point for Digeros’ clay works and
his process usually begins with sketching. Though unlike most artists,
his sketches are done in Autocad, a tool which allows him to think
about his pieces in what architects and engineers would describe as
plan view (the view from above). The challenge is taking this two-
dimensional sketch and bringing it to three-dimensional form. Much
like architecture, his work examines the elements of interior and
exterior, function, surface design and adornment, and it is designed
with a consideration of the relationship to its surroundings.
Marc Digeros
Ewer, 2013Earthenware, 6.5 x 8 x 4.5 inches
Marc Digeros
Medium Vase, 2013Earthenware, 9.5 x 5 x 5 inches
Marc Digeros
Small Vase, 2013Earthenware, 9.5 x 5 x 5 inches
Marc Digeros
Parallelogram Platter, 2013Earthenware, 2 x 19 x 6.5 inches
Marc Digeros
Teapot, 2013Earthenware, 6.5 x 8 x 4.5 inches
Marc Digeros
Medium Geometric Bowl, 2013Earthenware, 2 x 9 x 4 inches
Marc Digeros
Teapot, 2013Earthenware, 6.5 x 8 x 4.5 inches
Marc Digeros
Triangle Dish Set, 2013Earthenware, 1.5 x 5.5x 6 inches (each)
Marc Digeros
Small Geometric Bowl, 2013Earthenware, 2 x 6 x 4 inches
Marc Digeros
Lowball Cups, 2013Earthenware, 3 x 3.5 x 3.5 inches (each)
M A R K P H A R I S is an ceramic artist and professor residing in
Roberts, Wisconsin. His introduction to ceramics began in 1967 at the
University of Minnesota where he studied with Warren MacKenzie. In
the summer of 1973 he set up a pottery studio in a rural area outside
of Houston, Minnesota where he produced work until 1989. In 1985
he joined the Department of Art at the University of Minnesota as a
faculty member and served as the chair of the department from 1998
to 2004.
Nearly all of Pharis’ early work was functional, thrown, and once fired
in a wood and oil fired kiln. Since 1992, he has worked exclusively in
earthenware. His handbuilt forms and volumes are arrived at through
the use of two-dimensional paper patterns and made from clay slabs.
His process owes much to the traditions of patternmaking found in
sewing and sheet metal work. He thinks about and uses geometry
while making these pieces, however, it is casual geometry, intuitive, and
not derived from serious math.
Mark Pharis
Teapot, 2013Earthenware, 6 x 9 x 7 inches
Mirror Drawings, 2012
Graphite and Water Color on Board6 x 6 inches
Mark Pharis
Vase, 2013Earthenware, 6.25 x 6.25 x 2.5 inches
Mark Pharis
Vase, 2013Earthenware, 8.5 x 6 x2 inches
Mark Pharis
Vase, 2013Earthenware, 6.25 x 6.5 x 2.75 inches
Mark Pharis
Vase, 2013Earthenware, 7.75 x 8.25 x 2 inches
Mark Pharis
Teapot, 2013Earthenware, 6 x 10.5 x 7 inches
Mark Pharis
Teapot, 2013Earthenware, 7.5 x 8.5 x 6 inches
Mark Pharis
Vase, 2013Earthenware, 7.5 x 6.5 x 3 inches
A L I S O N R E I N T J E S is a ceramic artist living and working in
Missoula, Montana. She first moved to Montana in 2001 for a residency
at the Archie Bray Foundation. Alison studied at Kent State University,
the Canberra School of Art in Australia, and Northern Michigan
University. In addition to her time at the Archie Bray, Alison has held
artist residencies at Greenwich House Pottery in New York, Jentel in
Wyoming, Mount St. Francis in southern Indiana, and the Clay Studio of
Missoula in Montana.
Reintjes’ work references scientific and natural processes as the basis
for abstract investigations into pattern, shape and color. She uses
shallow spatial groupings to directly engage the wall, like bas relief
or tile murals. Each arrangement employs a framework (or rules),
introduced by the form. A strong sense of movement is revealed
through different densities. For instance, a rectangle suggests how
the forms might be combined in a row, a grid or another geometric
structure. The negative spaces that are created by the final
arrangement are as important to the overall design as the ceramic
forms.
Alison Reintjes
Strata, 2012Slipcast Porcelain, 16 x 16 x 1.25 inches
Spherical Lidded Box (open)
Alison Reintjes
Spherical Lidded Box, 2013Slipcast Porcelain, 4.5 x 5 x 5 inches
Alison Reintjes
Mugs, 2013Slipcast Porcelain, 3.5 x 5 x4 inches (each)
Heptagonal Shortened Antiprism (interior view)
Alison Reintjes
Heptagonal Shortened Antiprism, 2013Slipcast Porcelain, 2 x 7 x 7 inches
Alison Reintjes
Double Portrait, 2012Slipcast Porcelain, 30 x 27 x 1.25 inches
Hexagonal Lidded Box (top view)
Alison Reintjes
Heptagonal Lidded Box, 2013Slipcast Porcelain, 3.5 x 6 x 6 inches
Jeremy Randall
Blue & Green Flask, 2012Earthenware: Oxidation-Fired
6 x 5.5 x 2.5 inches
Alison Reintjes
Troughs & Peaks, 2013Slipcast Porcelain, 25 x 42 x 1 inches
Alison Reintjes
Shortened Antiprism Tumblers, 2013Slipcast Porcelain, 3.5 x 4.5 x 4.5 inches (each)
Alison Reintjes
Bowls, 2013Slipcast Porcelain, 2.5 x 5 x 5 inches (each)
Alison Reintjes
Hexagonal Lidded Box, 2013Slipcast Porcelain, 4 x 7.5 x 6.5 inches
H A N S P E T E R S U N D Q U I S T is a Chicago-based artist who
received a BA in Studio Art at Bethel University in St. Paul, MN and an
MFA in painting at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Hans gravitates toward low-fi means to create works of art that explore
natural phenomena such as light and time. His abstractions are typically
made by layering his own imperfect patterns and colors with the
calculated abstractions found in patterned or fabricated materials.
Sundquist wants to create a space where the image or object fades into
experience.
Hans Peter Sundquist
Lacrosse, 2012Spray Paint on Laminate, 16 x 12 inches
Hans Peter Sundquist
Untitled, 2013Spray Paint on Fabric, 16 x 12 inches
Hans Peter Sundquist
Untitled, 2013Spray Paint on Fabric, 16 x 12 inches
Study in Line, 2010
Graphite on Vellum12 x 18 inches
Hans Peter Sundquist
Untitled, 2013Spray Paint on Fabric, 9 x 12 inches
Hans Peter Sundquist
Untitled, 2013Spray Paint on Fabric, 16 x 12 inches
Hans Peter Sundquist
Untitled, 2013Spray Paint on Fabric, 23 x 19 inches
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