Plane & Solid

© 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


Untitled, 2013Spray Paint on Fabric, 16 x 12 inches



Study in Line, 2010

Graphite on Vellum12 x 18 inches







Documents

Plane & Solid