The holiday show and sale at the Edgewood Gallery features work by two veteran artists who keep shuffling the deck. Jan Navales creates pieces ranging from quilts to digital prints, from an artwork incorporating squash leaves to one utilizing shibori silk. Terry Askey-Cole, a ceramist, makes vases, bowls and mosaics, playing with texture and color.
First, Navales clearly is comfortable with operating on the move. She shifts from a long quilt using actual leaves to “#16 Tree,” a piece made with fiber paste, silk, acrylic and other elements. A third work, “#20 Ginko,” was made from batik and cotton, while “#10 Bumble Bee” combines text, orange color, and the outline of a honeycomb.
In addition, straight-up figuration isn’t a constant in Navales’ work. Certainly, one piece portrays a crow, but others faintly depict trees or have no figuration at all.
And the large number of works on display at Edgewood makes it clear that the artist is comfortable with multiple approaches. Her digital prints reflect an arts-and-crafts sensibility. Yet she also created an artwork merging linen, fiber paste, acrylic and a small metal object, with the metal playing a key role. Elsewhere, “#29 Art Quilt” emphasizes a green mass flanked by abstract patterns.
The exhibition also presents other types of work by Navales: jewelry, tote bags and purses. They further document the artist’s versatility, and her interest in various media.
Askey-Cole, meanwhile, has a variety of work in the show. Her lattice sculptures, as the name implies, use an open framework, with space between stripes of clay. Her mosaics work off of disparate elements. “Sailing,” for example, encompasses a small sail shape that helps define the piece. A second mosaic features traditional patterns and a bird on a limb.
Beyond that, there’s a selection of the artist’s “torn” vases on display. These pieces aren’t broken or chipped. They are made with a ceramic technique enabling an artist to create a work with a jagged edge, a tiny or large opening, or an area of surface with a chunk missing. Askey-Cole’s pieces fit into the third category. This doesn’t merely provide a different look; it also allows the artist to challenge viewers’ perspective of ceramics.
She steps up her game by skillfully employing color in many of her works. In “Blue Stripe,” the stripe contrasts with earth colors. In another sculpture, green and gold interact, producing a striking effect. And in a tall vase, a green segment brings the work to another level; it’s a very pretty piece.
The holiday show and sale works nicely by providing ample room for displaying the two artists’ works. It’s easy for viewers to get a sense of Navales’ grasp of materials such as silk, leather and fiber paste and Askey-Cole’s expertise in working with various ceramic forms.
In addition to the main exhibit, Edgewood is also displaying a few of David McDonald’s ceramic works and Sherry Gordon’s hats and scarves.
The show runs through Jan. 5 at the Edgewood Gallery, 216 Tecumseh Road. The venue is open Tuesdays through Fridays, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call (315) 445-8111.
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