08/02/07

The DCCA is pleased to focus on ceramics the summer and fall with two exciting exhibitions of work by artists Dale Shuffler and Paula Camenzind. 
 
Shuffler, whose show is open through November 4, creates improbable ceramic creations that appear to be either new plant forms or invented creatures.  The inspiration for Dale Shuffler’s sculptures is the interconnectedness of the natural world. Shuffler rearranges and recombines shapes, patterns, and forms found in plant, insects and flowers, aspects that he calls “entia” or "abstract beings” to form something new. He believes that we are all interconnected by the web of life, in which life forms rely on one another for survival and reproduction. He explains that his thoughts on this matter evolved from his own life experience: “I moved from the city over twenty years ago to a semi-rural location to reduce the distractions of life. That move slowly refocused my attention on the life around me and reestablished a relationship with the seasons and the rhythm of life, forms emerging from the ground, the skeletons of dry leaves, but most of all the interaction of insects and plants." His work will fill the small Draper showcase, presenting an entertaining installation of highly skilled craftsmanship.  Shuffler (Spring City, PA) holds a BFA from the Philadelphia College of Art and an MFA from the University of Pennsylvania.  He has shown his work both nationally and internationally, including a 25 Year Retrospective in 2006.  Shuffler teaches at nearby West Chester University and his work is in The Noyes Museum, Ocean County, NJ, The Delaware Museum of Art, Wilmington, DE, and the Ed Orten Ceramic Foundation, Westerville, OH.
    
Paula Camenzind’s goal when creating her stoneware and porcelain works is to design timeless, elegant forms with sensual surfaces.  Her exhibition opens September 6 and continues through October 31. Camenzind believes that the form of the pot is primary and that surface decoration should enhance that form.  Her basic aesthetic for the shapes of her vessels emanates from Chinese ceramics while her surface decoration can be inspired by many different sources—from water to gas puddles to such natural forms as volcanic lava, shells, sea glass, and coral. In order to create these surfaces, Camenzind uses glazing techniques that require multiple firings with an application of additional glazes or metallic compounds before each firing. Camenzind (Newark, DE) holds a BFA and MFA from University of North Carolina, Greensboro. She has shown her work mostly throughout the region and in the Carolinas. She has lectured and taught at several art schools and currently is a full-time studio artist.

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