Barbara Sorensen at the Orlando Museum of Art
Central Florida may take pride in being the home of Barbara Sorensen, a renowned sculptor known for large-scale works in clay and bronze, as the Orlando Museum of Art opens a retrospective exhibit of her work on January 7. A recent recipient of The Florida Artist of Enduring Excellence award, Sorensen is known for her sculptures, which are inspired by Nature and geological forms.
With studios in Colorado and Winter Park, Florida, Sorensen’s work always pays homage to the world’s most ‘dynamic’ landscapes and varied environments. Evolving from her original works in clay, Sorensen is now focusing her energy on works in metal and resins, inspired by the relationship between humans and Nature’s ever-evolving landscapes. Curator Barbara Bloemink says, “Sorensen’s sculpture celebrates the earth’s terrain, metaphorically reminding us of the globe’s wild, natural beauty.”
An avid mountain hiker, Sorensen incorporates the rugged and remote settings she visits by adding stones, which she collects from the river beds of the streams of Colorado, into her work. When the stones are subjected to the heat of her kiln, they literally explode in the kiln, creating a rich-but-rugged texture to her works in clay. She says, “The clay, stones, slips and glazes I use in these works are from the earth, and replicate the earth, the landscape and the environment, with their overlapping plates and suggestion of metamorphosis.”
And there is a playful side to this Artist. Her new Dwelling series is made up of brightly painted, large-scale forms which become playful, juxtaposed to each other. From her early days of “throwing pots” to her present Dwellings … “All are containers of our spirit,” she says, “and have reference to the vase form. Although the medium has changed, from clay to resins to aluminum, the vessel is always present.”
The Artist’s playful nature is also apparent when asked how she manages to ‘create’ while maintaining a busy schedule. “Timelines and staying flexible helps,” she says, “and my family doesn’t mind eating popcorn for dinner!”
While the mountains of Colorado have an obvious influence on her work, Sorensen is also inspired by her life in Florida. “The landscape repeats itself,” she says, “the sand dunes swell, waves swell, life swells, streams ebb, people ebb, sinkholes sink, water ripples, rivers roar, wind blows, sun bleaches, clouds drift.”
One of the most effective works in the new exhibit is a collaborative work with Orlando Philharmonic Composer-in-Residence Stella Sung and Videographer David Hiser. Called Foothills, the sculpture is an undulating series of characteristically ‘rough’ ceramic pieces which sit on a grid on the floor while the video rolls across the clay forms as Sung’s beautifully abstract sound plays in the background. As one views the work, it’s as if you are looking at undulating hills from the window of an airplane … an airplane with the most relaxing and tasteful music over its headphone.
Ms. Sorensen’s work may be viewed at the Kouros Gallery in New York City, at the 212 Gallery in Aspen, Colorado, and through Albertson Art Consultants in Orlando. Topographies will open at the Orlando Museum of Art with a reception for the Artist on January 14 from 6 to 8 pm and will remain on view through April 1, 2012.
Topographies | Orlando Museum of Art
January 14 - April 1 2012
Call 407 896 4231 or visit www.OMArt.org
