Seeking Common Language....by Cynthia Sumner

Exhibit Runs: May 26 – June 30, 2019
Artist Reception: Saturday, June 15, 2019 from 4 – 8 pm
Stop by to engage in gallery conversation with artists, Cynthia Sumner and Beverly Bird and enjoy a special beverage sampling by YMateina, from Sebastopol, serving the finest Yerba Mate from Paraguay.  

The June Featured Artist, Cynthia Sumner, an emerging local artist brings together her love of ceramics and painting in a new collection of work: “Seeking Common Language.”  The exhibit features two mediums: a series of stacked sculptural forms in clay (“totems”) and oil paintings in cold wax medium.

Her paintings reference internal and external landscapes.  “I am inspired by nature and mid-century modern ceramics,” said Sumner.  In her painting process, textures play a big role as they go through layering, scraping, applying more paint.   Cold wax medium blends beeswax, resin, pigments and solvents, which then evaporate to create a firm surface.  Wax artworks date back to the ancient Egyptians.  Once cured, these paintings can be handled like any other fine artwork.

“Whereas painting is a more recent endeavor, working in clay is like home to me.  I’ve been shaping things out of earth since I could make mud pies,” noted Sumner.  “Knives, squeegees, scrapers and my own fingers give me visceral feedback like working in clay,” she added.  The stacked sculptural forms express her vision in three-dimensions: abstract shapes play off each other in these unique works.
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A graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute in the late 80’s, Sumner was an art educator in New Orleans and San Francisco; she previously exhibited as a conceptual/installation artist.