“Evolve” by Wendy Liss is the latest addition to the Sculpture Walk on the Newtown campus of Bucks County Community College.
In the fall of 2022, Clifford Eberly, exhibitions associate at the Hicks Art Center Gallery, invited Liss to create an original piece for the site after researching sculptors in the region and seeing a video of her discussing her site-specific installation at “Sculpture in the Glen III,” in Gladwyne in the fall of 2021.
Eberly explained, “What struck me about Wendy’s approach to placing her sculpture, “Presence,” was how she responded to the environment by finding a tree trunk in situ for the base and adding moss to make it appear as though the clay body was born out of the ground.”
In her studio, Liss and Eberly discussed the location and scale of the campus site, and Liss set about making drawings and creating maquettes for the piece after several site visits. She collaborated with Tom Ransom, a metal fabricator, who created the steel support portal that is bolted to the salvaged base of the sculpture.
“Evolve” is a site-specific work and is positioned so when viewed from a distance or up close, the steel ring shifts its visual volume from a thick curving ribbon to a thin encircling orange line contrasting with the sky while framing the rhythmic organic shape of the ceramic elements within.
Inspired by nature and the human figure, Liss works out of her studio in the suburbs of Philadelphia, where her creative process is driven by the energy and environment that surrounds her.
Liss earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts (’84) and an Art Education Certification (’85) from Moore College of Art in Philadelphia. Her work is shown throughout the Mid-Atlantic region and is available through InLiquid, The Art Shop at Moore College of Art and Design, and Parisa Rugs & Decor in Old City, Philadelphia.
Currently she is exhibiting in Claybash at the Hunterdon Art Museum in Clinton, N.J., on view until Sept. 3. On First Friday in October, her work will be featured at Parisa Rugs & Decor.
The community is invited to view “Evolve” 24 hours a day, seven days a week, along Linden Lane on the Newtown campus of Bucks County Community College. To schedule a free Sculpture Walk tour, email Clifford Eberly at gallery@bucks.edu.
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