In Tandem Gallery Features Lisa Orr and Gillian Parke

Laurel of Asheville - August 2018

(photo: Lisa Orr)
In Tandem Gallery presents two exhibits opening in August. The work of potter Lisa Orr will be on display from Saturday, August 4 (opening reception from 5–8 p.m.), through September 4. Though Orr’s pieces are utilitarian, each is a work of art rich with color and texture. Her technique includes using plaster molds to press impressions of organic material that she attaches to her work. The tactile surface this creates allows her glazes to drip, pool and fade into one another.

“Lisa creates a total sense of whimsy and celebration,” says gallery co-owner Andy Palmer. “Some ceramicists make their pottery as a backdrop to display whatever is served in it, but Lisa has definitely made her pieces the main focus.”

The work of ceramicist Gillian Parke will be on display from Saturday, August 18 (opening reception from 5–8 p.m.), through September 18. Parke’s work combines the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi, which finds beauty in natural imperfections, with the fineness that emanates from traditional Western manufactured porcelain ceramics. Feldspar, open-stock decals and metallic lusters are incorporated into her designs.

“With her use of gold accents and delicate floral decals, Parke’s pieces definitely show an elegance, which she juxtaposes by creating an extremely rugged clay body,” says Palmer. “It’s these contrasting elements that make me love her work.” In Tandem Gallery is located at 20 North Mitchell Street in Bakersville.

For more information, call the gallery at 828.688.6428 or visit intandemgallery.com.