The Art Spirit in the Sky
Deb Berkebile: Earthscapes
at Glass Growers Gallery
An Art Review
Oftentimes when artists create they have an embedded stance or perspective within their work, albeit sometimes hidden or misunderstood.
Yet a current Erie art exhibit has a viewpoint that’s literally out of this world.
Deb Berkebile: Earthscapes at Glass Growers Gallery melds fabric art with satellite imagery to produce almost quilt-size tapestries.
Yet without knowing the theme of the show, Ribbon Lake, a 47 x 47 artwork, looks like a fabric homage to autumn. Bright orange and yellow colors dominate this canvas, with a brownish strip that runs partially up the middle, resembling a tree. However, it actually shows an earthscape in dire need of water”which explains the blue blob at the bottom of the cloth.
Eye of Sahara, from NASA satellite imagery, could initially be construed as an abstract fabric fabrication. Conversely, its bright blue and green tones are surprising since the Sahara is regarded as a desert.
While several of Berkevile’s creations offer a birds-eye view of our world, Galileo Inspirations (see above) outdoes them all. A fiber work of 32 x 30 dimensions, the artist uses the planet Jupiter as her subject. Portrayed with sewn swirl shades of orange, red and blues, a black background with white painted dots as stars, illustrates the desolation of space.
Of the approximate 30 creations within Earthscapes half of them are encaustic.
According to Google: Encaustic painting, also known as hot wax painting, is a form of painting that involves a heated wax medium to which colored pigments have been added. The molten mix is applied to a surface”usually prepared wood, though canvas and other materials are sometimes used.
Hunt and Peck is a blurry, black and bluish 10 x 10 encaustic that those who never took typing class in school will ruefully recall, while Gears #1 is art for definitely geared for any typical, well…gearhead.
Small rectangular panels combined make the 10 x 10 Fabric Study “ Rust Dyeing. Each encaustic a separate, nonrepresentational image, offers up a seemingly six-in-one Rorschach test.
Using uncommon mediums, Berkebile’s exhibit offers uncommon visions of our world and commonplace devices.
****GG
Deb Berkebile: Earthscapes continues through March 16. For more information visit glassgrowersgallery.com
END
