Mixed Media and Clay Work Take Center Stage at City Gallery

[Jen Payne]

In November, City Gallery presents The Other Part, an exhibition of mixed media art and clay work by Sheila Kaczmarek. The show runs Friday, November 3 - Sunday, November 26. The Opening Reception on Saturday, November 4 will feature live music from 2-5pm by Mike Reinhauzen and Len Kaczmarek.

 

Kaczmarek’s haunting work looks at the unusual or other side of things — the shadow, the tracks left, or the smoke residue. She tries to present an aspect which may not be the obvious, that makes the viewer look twice and wonder.

 

She works with mixed media, including clay. Her interest lies in both the process of layering and in stripping away surfaces. Her work with clay involves both high and low fire clay and pit firing and Raku. Her clay surfaces sometimes incorporate paint, metal and encaustic wax. Most recently, she has been intrigued by the complexity and unexpected nature when assembling multiple organic forms like fungi and mushrooms.

 

Kaczmarek studied art at St. Martin’s School of Art, London; UCLA, California; and the Academie des Beaux Arts, Brussels. She apprenticed in the ceramic studio of the Guilford Art Center for five years. She has taught art for over 20 years to both children and now to adults. She worked with a collaborative group of women artists for 8 years, resulting in multiple shows in Connecticut and New York. She is a founding member of City Gallery, president of the Guilford Art League, and served on the Board of the New Haven Paint and Clay Club for many years.

 

The Other Part is free and open to the public, and will be on view November 3 - November 26, with an Opening Reception on Saturday, November 4 featuring live music from 2-5pm by Mike Reinhauzen and Len Kaczmarek. City Gallery is located at 994 State Street, New Haven, CT 06511. Gallery hours are Friday - Sunday, 12pm - 4 pm, or by appointment. For further information please contact City Gallery, [e-mail], www.city-gallery.org.