Michelle Gregor - Red Cedar and More in New Ceramics
We are honored to be hosting another beautiful exhibition of Michelle Gregor’s stunning ceramic sculptor at the gallery from November 6 to 30th. Gregor’s dynamic sculptures, featuring splashes of glazing and purposeful incisions, have been featured here at the John Natsoulas Gallery for many years. Studying sculpture during the height of the figurative ceramics movement, Gregor has shown a continued interest in the elegant figures which catapulted her to fame. Following in the footsteps of predecessors such as Manuel Neri and Stephen DeStaebler, Gregor has adopted a free and intuitive style. Also known for his colorism, the sculptures in this exhibition use delicate coloring transforms the powerful block of clay to suggest fashionable refinement.
Michelle Gregor, Red Cedar, 2024, ceramic and glazes, 24” x 10” x 10”
Her current exhibition combines her two greatest interests, the natural world and women connected to history or mythology. One of her elegant sculpture , Red Cedar, blends these two interests. Taking inspiration from the majestic Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata) which ranges throughout the Pacific Northwest, the women and the pillar-like tree appear to give each other strength, balancing and protecting one another.
The red cedar tree is considered the Tree of Life by many of peoples native to the region where it grows endemically. Used in every facet of daily life, from food, transportation, clothing, to medicine, the red cedar provides much for those living in its range. These trees also serve as a critical artistic medium, as most totem poles are carved from the enormous trunks of these towering trees. The careful, balance of the woman and tree forms within the sculpture suggests a reverence for the life-giving power of both. The sensitivity with which Gregor depicts her figures suggest also the delicate line between life and death.
This sculpture, along with the others in this exciting exhibition speak to the Gregor’s abilities to masterfully tell stories through her beautiful figures. Make sure to come see them all until November 28, 2024.