Szozda Gallery mounts artwork created by a married couple
Nature Inspired, on display at the Szozda Gallery, is literally a family show. It displays artworks by Bruce and Cathy Thomas, husband and wife for 37 years and recent collaborators on works portraying subjects from nature. The exhibition features his sculptures, her paintings and the ways in which they influence each other. And the show touches on pieces created during an earlier time when they pursued separate artistic paths.
C. Wilkinson, the name Cathy Thomas uses as a painter, has several still-life pieces on exhibit which depict pears, onions and other subjects. Those works are very much in the mainstream and don’t stand out in any way. She’s takes a much more interesting approach in a painting with a surrealistic flavor. There she portrays three asparagus spears, far larger than usual and standing in a remote area close to mountains.
She also has paintings referencing her husband’s nature photos which appeared in National Wild Life, Natural History magazine and other publications. Wilkinson works in several styles ranging from straight-up figurative paintings, like the one portraying three young birds and their mother, to a work depicting pussy willows with a small frog perched on top of them. In the latter painting, she fills the canvas with blazing shades of gold and brown, resulting in a fine artwork.
Other notable paintings include a work showing a chick under the wing of an older bird, one depicting a frog on a branch and employing rich red color, and several encaustics, paintings in which Wilkinson used wax as a base element instead of traditional substances. One of them portrays three ducks on a pond; they appear faded, even shadowy. The artist started working in this format recently, showing a willingness to experiment.
Thomas, meanwhile, was interested in pottery for a long time before actually creating sculptures. In the current show, there are several pieces he created by himself, including one depicting an apple and another portraying a rabbit’s behind. Beyond that, there’s a series of works in which he created a vessel and Wilkinson carved on its surface or painted on it or made small figures to adorn it.
That partnership takes several forms. In one work, for example, a small bird figure sits on top of a vessel. In another, two fish figures ride a pot’s rim, with the pot made in earth colors. Elsewhere, Wilkinson has carved in leaf shapes on a vessel.
Three other pieces, with the titles “Tree Bottle,” Tree Vase,” and
“Rice Bowl with Trees,” demonstrate the artists working together well,
as Thomas created stoneware vessels and Wilkinson decorated them with
painting that evokes the brush strokes of Japanese art. These works are
noteworthy in themselves and also reflect the nature of the artists’
collaboration. They aren’t working together as a gimmick: This is a
serious, and ultimately successful, project.
Nature Inspired documents each artist’s individual interests, their capacity for cooperation, and their affection for the natural world. They are a couple who don’t have to travel far to enjoy the countryside; they live in a rural area of Central New York, outside the hamlet of Remsen. It appears that living there has shaped their perspective on nature.
The exhibition is on display through Dec. 4 at the Szozda Gallery, 501 W. Fayette St. The gallery is open Wednesdays to Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call 579-2805.