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Bolts and Bots: July 9 to August 24 |
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Pedal cars. Stoneware. Nostalgia. Myths. Humor. Steampunk. Although those elements seem unrelated, they happily converge in John Brickels’s amazing and unique clay sculptures. Although turning found objects into art is not novel -- Picasso cast bicycle parts for “Bull’s Head” -- Brickels steers rusty old pedal cars that he finds online in new, playful directions. Considering the American love affair with cars, it’s no wonder that his imaginative treatment of these mid 20th-century mementos of childhood appeals to all ages. For the Vermont clay artist, the pedal cars mesh with the legends of classic autos discovered in abandoned barns.
At first glance, the completed cars, cycles, and tractors look as if youngsters could hop in and race down the sidewalk. After realizing the vehicles are immobile, many viewers immediately assume he left the rusty bodies intact and dipped the chassis and all other parts in muddy plaster. Their mouths drop when they learn that he hand-builds in stoneware each chassis, tire, dashboard, steering wheel -- whatever is needed to complete every vintage vehicle. He doesn’t glaze or paint the stoneware in order to maintain the natural cocoa hue -- like the color of mud from an off-road race. The devil is in the humorous details that fool the eye like a trompe l’oeil painting. Flat tires that can’t be inflated. They’re clay. Washers strewn on a seat must be metal. Nope. They’re clay. An old Vespa’s side compartment’s tools tossed on the floor. Look again. They’re clay. A tractor’s complex engine. Yes, fooled again.
The “Steampunk” vehicle -- part of the contemporary art and fashion movement that’s revved up about the bygone era of steam-powered technology -- is a tour de force complete with boiler, pistons, and a firebox for coal.
Brickels initially revealed his sculpting talents and imagination with hand-crafted stoneware barns, rowhouses, and factories bursting with details that tell the stories of America’s vanishing landscapes. Just like the pedal cars.
-- Jan Shepherd, editor, New England Crafts Connoisseur
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John Brickels is a former Montpelier resident that now makes his home in Essex Jct., VT. His works are inspired by the engaging architecture he grew up around in Akron, Ohio: old Victorian houses with endless porches, shadowy attics and meandering stairways. Tire factories loomed down the block belching steam and rubber aroma. It was a visual delight that has inspired him to be ever observant of architecture wherever he lives. John's work has garnered significant recognition in the years that he has been creating his structures. In addition to the numerous awards that he has received, he has also created works that have been given to President George H. W. Bush, Pope John Paul II, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles of Wales, and King Juan Carlos of Spain. His buildings are made from slabs of clay. Walls are cut out from the slabs, stood up and joined at the corners with slip. Windows are cut out and textures added. Bricks are inscribed with a needle and ruler. Boards and shingles are extruded from a clay gun and are attached individually. After slowly drying out for at least a month each building is fired in a kiln to over 2,200 degrees. This vitrifies the clay and makes the sculptures extremely durable, including the ability of displaying the sculptures outside year round. the Lazy Pear Gallery 154 Main Street, Montpelier, VT 05602 802-223-7680 |
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