Michelle Stuhl

When Michelle Stuhl visited Peru she found the people and their culture, the landscape, and most of all the remains of the ancient Inca civilizationcompelling. From a purely visual and creative standpoint, the magnitude of the accomplishments by the Incas amazed the artist, including masterfully designed architecture, precision engineering, stone carving, ceramics, textiles and metalwork. Stuhl visited museums where some artifacts remain; however, she learned that the majority of the civilization’s objects, especially those made of gold, had been destroyed. The idea that a civilization was invaded and crushed, its temples leveled and its invaluable gold and precious ceremonial objects seized and melted down by the conquerors, was heartbreaking. When they arrived in 1526 the Spanish fought, conquered, and enslaved the Incas, executing the last Inca Ruler, Tupac Amaru, in 1572. The conquistadors melted down almost all significant objects and treasures, using the precious metals as adornments for churches, building new cities over the ancient foundations. For Stuhl, gold is the symbol that epitomized the invasion.

In terms of imagery, this is a very simple body of work that utilizes a few key forms and motifs. The monolith recalls the components of the Inca temples,Machu Picchu being only one of many. The coins represent the gold and the valuables, while images of rain represent tears, and crimson represents the blood spilled. Some of the works are graphite drawings on panels with a poured translucent encaustic/wax surface. Also included are some oil paintings on unframed canvas that have been saturated in clear encaustic. Others are even simpler-poured encaustic and pigment shapes on panels.

The working titles in this show are in English, however in honor of the Incas, each piece has a Quechuan title. Quechua was the language spoken by the Incas in Peru, and remains an official language in Peru and Bolivia.

Howard Werner

Howard Werner received a degree in woodwork and furniture design from The School for American Craftsmen at Rochester Institute of Technology. His greatest inspiration, however, comes from the world of sculpture and the work of Brancusi and Noguchi. Howard has been direct-carving sculpture and furniture from large tree sections since the mid 1970′s. His work is influenced by both classical forms from Greece and Italy as well as primitive carvings from Africa and Oceana. The tools and raw materials he employs are important to the finished work. His process is evident in the rough chainsawn surfaces and the untouched natural sections of the trees that are prominent on many pieces.

Howard has been awarded grants from The National Endowment for the Arts and The New York State Fellowship for the Arts. His work is in numerous collections including The American Craft Museum, The Mint Museum, The Arkansas Arts Center, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, The Rochester Institute of Technology, Arizona State University Museum, Mobile Museum of Art.