Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Wesley Harvey/ May 2010/ Brittany Kennedy



I had the pleasure to talk with Wesley Harvey at the Joan Grona's Gallery this past friday. He is an exceptional sculpture artist and I wanted to get in his words what the content of the work was and what it meant to him. The kitsch objects has been a interest of his for some time. He is fascinated with the controversy created within a kitsch object. Harvey explores revealing the beauty he finds in kitsch objects and composes them together in a fine art manner. The "Bunny Boot" is one of the first works that I was drawn to. The pastel hue of the boot is what my eye was attracted to. The yellow is unexpected. It suddenly demanded me to stand in its space and view it from all angles. The variation of tonal range within the details of the shoe laces are breath taking. The gradation subtly draws you into the crevices of the shoe laces allowing you to view the meticulous decisions in carving from the sculptor. I appreciate how the bunny harmoniously sits on the boot and is unified with the boot by the pastel yellow and concrete placement on top of the boot. The pink birds resting atop of the boot add a splash of color drawing a visual line that swiftly brings the viewers eye from the toe of the boot to the top. Wesley Harvey has a unified body of work that worked well in the exhibition along with Kelly O'Conner's work.