Page 42 - the NOISE September 2014

42 • SEPTEMBER 2014 • the NOISE arts & news • thenoise.us
OUT OF THE BOX >> CONTINUED FROM 18 >>
ABOVE: Detail of the labradorite bracelet from Christina Norlin’s new Laughing Water Series.
in depth, but it was detailed enough cover- age to give me the knowledge and informa- tion to expand on.”
Rimrock clay artist Helene Stolzenberg found new inspiration during her experience in The ArtBox Institute and came out with a renewed exhilaration about her medium and a desire to take her work away from the figurative into the conceptual.
Prior to this direction, Ms. Stolzenberg had thrown her pieces off the pottery wheel and sculpted them into the female form.
“I have always been a clay artist sculptor,” says Ms. Stolzenberg. “I love the medium of clay, the amazing way it feels in my hands and its ability to talk to me. Much of my work is created through my sense of touch. I tend to close my eyes and remember how some- thing feels in my hands and then interpret it through the clay.”
For the pop up gallery, Ms. Stolzenberg will be showing a conceptual installation created specifically for the event of a raw clay sculp- ture of the female body positioned in water.
“My art has always been a vehicle to heal my angst in relation to my female form and the contrasting cultural images,” she says.
“Now, as a ‘midlife woman,’ my art is an explora- tion into the concept of process and the tem- porary, as a reflection of life and time. My in- terpretation of the theme will center on time and water’s interaction with the medium of clay as a metaphor for time and my body.”
Exhibiting in yet another medium is Flag- staff stained glass, metal and jewelry artist Christina Norlin. A longtime member of The Artists’ Gallery and owner of Raven’s Eye Glassworks, Ms. Norlin finds her inspira- tion in the earth and sky — flora and fauna as well as the designs and rhythms of the can- yons and rivers of the Southwest.
“I have an amazing spiritual connection to this landscape of the canyons and moun- tains of Northern Arizona,” says the artist.
“My first trip down the Colorado River, I had found my church. All of my work, whether it be in stained glass, sandblasted sterling or glass reveal my love for this area and the strength and inspiration I receive and trans- late into my pieces.”
Ever since Ms. Norlin was seven years old she was fascinated with 3D work, wood, leather, beads, tooth picks, popsicle sticks
— anything she could possibly assemble. At eight she took her first formal drawing class in pastels; in high school she discovered jewelry and silver smithing; and in college immersed herself in oils, watercolors, pastels, pencil, and sculpture.
In 1997, when her daughter was grown, one of the first things she did was take a stained glass class from Judi Hartman.
“I hit the ground running with it,” says Ms. Norlin. “The intensity of the colors in the glass was what I had been seeking. When I tried my hand at painting water color, oils and acrylics, I could never get the paint to the right brightness or luminosity, it always seemed to fade. But the immense variety of glass was perfect! I found myself buying sheets of glass with no intention of using them other than to set them in a sunny win- dow and gaze upon the sheer beauty of col- ors. And then there were all the tools. I love power tools! Grinders, drills, saws, soldering irons. What more could a girl ask for?”
About five years ago, the longing to cre- ate jewelry again came back into Ms. Norlin’s heart, and two years ago she made the switch from stained glass to metals. Although she hasn’t completely left stained glass behind, it is no longer her main focus and she is not currently accepting commissions.
In the pop up gallery, Ms. Norlin is show- ing new work that demonstrates her shift in mediums — a series she is calling “Laughing Waters; Inspiration from Havasupai.”
“Back in the ‘80s I did a solo hike from hill- top down to the river to pick up a river trip,” she says. “It was about a 20 mile hike from top to bottom. By the time I got to Beaver Falls which is about halfway, I spent the night. The next morning I knew I was most likely the only person in that canyon between the river and the village. I felt an exuberance and ex- hilaration knowing how isolated I was — just me and this stunning landscape. The morn- ing light on the water as it cascaded down the canyon, leaping from pool to pool was enchanted and magical. The swirls and spirals I have engraved into each piece represent the magic I experienced in the laughing and play- ful waters on that hike all those years ago.”
Other artists featured in The ArtBox Pop Up Gallery presenting a wide variety of me- diums that explore the topic of water are Ed Dunn, Carme Ribera, Elizabeth Savage, Daren Burns, Tom Williams, David Dawa- ngyumptewa, Amy Martin, Tricia O’Reilly, Caryn Bopp, Paul Moore, Sandy Quintilla, Jocelyn Champagne Shiner, Stephanie Haughton, and Zuni Ishikawa.
The Artbox Pop Up Gallery runs through the month of September at Firecreek Coffee Company with an opening celebration on First Friday ArtWalk on September 5, from 6-9PM at 22 E. Route 66. Firecreek Coffee Company is open 7AM-8PM Sunday-Tuesday and 7AM-11PM Wednesday-Saturday.
For more information about the ArtBox Institute visit flagartscouncil.org
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