I dropped by Davis Gallery after work this past Thursday, to check out their current two-person show, Of Warp and Weft. It features Austin-based artists Caprice Pierucci and Charles Heppner.
Pierucci’s flowing wooden sculptures are pretty amazing. The light-colored ones almost look like the bones of some giant fish.
A lady I was chatting with in the gallery remarked that one of Pierucci’s dark brown sculptures reminded her of dripping, melted chocolate, and I could see it immediately. Her sinuous forms thus are like clouds — people will see different things in them.
Pierucci’s works are held in some prominent collections, and she has gallery representation in Austin, Houston, and New Orleans. She’s also a senior lecturer in the School of Art & Design at Texas State University in San Marcos.
The other artist in this show is photographer Charles Heppner. I really enjoyed his pieces. When I say that he has shot cheesecloth against a black background, that may sound quite ordinary — even dull. But I was mightily impressed by the forms of the twisted white grids on black.
The lack of color, but ramped-up contrast created interesting shadows and play of light remind me of what Edward Weston could do with a bell pepper.
The way these large-format photos are printed and mounted is not something I’ve seen before, either. It’s described as “UV-cured ink-jet print on Dibond.”
Heppner’s work takes on various media. Apparently he started out as a painter, but now works in photography, mixed media constructions, and drawing, as well. After seeing what he does with cheesecloth (!), I am quite interested to see some of his other work.
Of Warp and Weft continues at Davis Gallery through July 21.
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