Duo uses basic building clocks of civilization
for art
Wood, iron, bronze form Scott Lindberg,
Cristie Thomas' 'Passages'
exhibit at Cabrillo Gallery
Richard Bennett
for the Register-Pajaronian
November 20, 2003
Wood,
bronze and iron. With these three basic materials the team
of Scott Lindbeg and Cristie Thomas have, over a period of
several years, put together an exhibition of sculptures, "Passages,"
which is currently on display at the Cabrillo Gallery in Aptos.
The materials
are the basic building blocks of civilization, and the artificer
team has given their innate quality of strength and solidity
a chance to shine.
The iron
work, a specialty of the Lindberg-Thomas team in their business
as well as their art, has a lightness, almost a delicacy in
these pieces. The wood, worked from beams and posts, is carved
in graceful arcs, and polished. The bronzes, some of which
are cast from real objects such as seedpods, pears and pomegranates,
are treated wtih natural coppery patinas.
Each
piece is a collaboration between the two artists.
"The
ideas come as we do the work," Thomas said. "We
started with a number of small cast bronzes."
They
did the bronzes at the Cabrillo foundry. The wood came about
when the pair had access to a wood construction yard. Steel
fabricating came from their own facility, where they do custom
fabricating for architecture and gardens.
The constructions
are mostly about 4 to 6 feet in height, and have a basic structure
of wood or fabricated steel, with a bronze feature on the
top. They have a sense of being cantilevered slightly off-balance,
as if they were moving. The titles suggest a subtle playfulness.
In "Pear
Up There," a bronze pear in a wooden boat is supported
by polished steel rods. "Fishbone Xylophone" whimsically
describes the piece, a series of thin blades in a frame work
of steel bars. "Pomegranate House" is a finely worked
steel tower, housing four pomegranates, three of which are
cast in bronze.
Structure
and material are not hidden in Lindberg/Thomas art, but are
a prominent feature. The pair have been working together for
over 25 years.
"Scott
and Cristie's shared passion for architecture and construction,
combined with their love for gardening and the outdoors, inspire
their work," read the artists' statement, and Passages
provides a landmark in their collaboration.
