ACCENT GALLERY

The art of ceramics, oil and glass will be explored in Compositions in Color, a three women show at Accent Gallery from June 24 to June 30. The show is not only a celebration of art but of the women who have faced personal challenges or life changes in the successful pursuit of their work. ———

Ayala Laufer-Cahana, Oil Painter

Israeli-born Ayala was a successful physician for many years before she decided to pursue a lifelong dream of painting.

“It had been building up for years,” said Ayala. “I loved doing medicine but it was not my dream. With encouragement from my husband, Albert, I took a year off from medicine and painted the entire time.”

Ayala has been painting ever since.

Her medium of choice is oil paint and her style is abstract. “Oils are very luscious,” she said. “I like them for their saturation, durability and slow drying properties. The paintings are abstract but give a sense of place. They have the organization and movement of a landscape. Most people read them as a place that they haven’t seen but can visit, a place in the painter’s mind.”
She sees her experience as a physician and a medical geneticist reflected in her work. “In both, I am exploring the human condition, and stand in awe when studying the structure, dynamics and forces of life.”

Ruth Siporski, Ceramicist

Ruth Siporski survived Hurricane Katrina but her studio in New Orleans did not. She spent countless hours rebuilding it so that she could continue to create the hand built forms for which she is known.

“My father was an architect in an era of function and budget over form and beauty,” said Siporski. “That is not the situation I find myself in. Form always wins over function. Kiln size is my only limitation but just requires creativity to overcome.”

The ceramics created by Siporski are labor intensive and made from slabs. “These slabs give the work their two-dimensional sleek look,” she said. “Many layers of color, sanding, carving, sanding, rubbing are all used to achieve the desired result.”

“The pieces tend to take on a personality, whether cocky or stoic,” she added. “That comes from the pleasure I get making them and the care they get during the process. The pieces tend to duplicate my mood.”

Terri Stanley produces kiln-formed glass art in a wide range of styles in her studio on the coast of New Jersey. She is inspired in her work by the beach, the sunlight reflecting off the bay and the colorful gardens near her studio.

“I have a Down­beach series which is a tribute to Margate, Ventnor and Longport,” she said, “and the colors and patterns that I’ve seen there. “My husband Bill is also a gardener and I have these beautiful flowers every spring, summer and fall.”

A transplant from Pennsylvania, Stanley actually went to study kiln-formed glass in Pilchuck, near Seattle, Washington. “It changed my life and my art,” she admitted.

She now owns a kiln the size of a bed and works from stainless steel molds that her husband builds in his metal shop. “When I have a concept, I’ll start with lots of sketches,” she said. “Then I’ll move on to the firings and it requires two, one without the mold to fuse the glass together. I’ll grind the piece with diamonds and water to create beautiful, crisp edges. Then I’ll take my glass and situate it on the mold at a lower temperature and it takes that shape. It takes about two weeks to complete a piece, and sometimes longer.”

For more information about these artists, or the upcoming show, contact the Accent Gallery at (609) 398-3577.