ABOUT THE ART:

A presentation of works reflecting both the communality and divergence in civilizations such as Cambodia, Central America, Greece, Japan, Ladak, Morocco, Russia and Turkey. Both artists have been influenced and inspired through their travels to remote and distinct cultures around the world Although the geographical locations frequented vary, the artists’ quests to uncover ancient cultures and civilizations are similar.

Jörg Schmeisser's distinguished printmaking career is inspired by a restless curiosity about the perception and essence of the visual world. Schmeisser’s imagination has been fired by regular injections of the unfamiliar or unknown. An alphabetical index of his prints would commence with Antarctica, and conclude with Zanskar (Lakokh) with entries between on Canberra, Hamburg, Jerusalem, Nara, Peking and Venice. A selection of etchings from many of these areas covering a wide time frame (1969 - 2000) will be on display.

Born in Stolp, Pomerania in 1942, Schmeisser attended art school in Hamburg, Germany, and took his post-graduate work at the Fine Arts University of Kyoto, Japan. He moved to Canberra, Australia in 1978 to head the Printmaking Workshop of the Australian National University, Canberra School of Art. His work has been shown in more than 130 solo exhibitions world-wide and is represented in major private and public collections such as the Princeton University Graphic Arts Collection; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; National Gallery of Australia; Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris and the Kunsthalle, Hamburg.

Sally Spofford has created a new series of paintings and sculptures that represent a synthesis of many cultures. Questions posed by the origins of the worlds cultures’ and history have taken the artist to many locales (Central America, Morocco, Russia and Turkey) looking for common denominators. Her journey extends past the physical world into the spiritual world where she uses human history as a source for images in her work. Extensive travel combined with immersions in museums and galleries and extensive research also strengthen her painting.

The mediums used in the paintings are oil pastel, gesso, watercolors, acrylics, inks, colored pencil, and composition gold and silver leaf and fire. The paper is 100% rag. The panels on which they are applied are of wood finished with UV resistant polymer varnish. The hand carved sculptures are of pine or cedar. They are finished with acrylic paints, ink stains, and gold and/or silver composition leaf and fire.

SALLY SPOFFORD graduated from Swarthmore College with High Honors and studied at The Art Students League and The China Institute, both in New York City. Her work is in the collections of The Newark Museum and The New Jersey State Museum. and in many corporate and private collections