by Edith Cody-Rice
On Saturday, March 18, Sivarulrasa Gallery on Mill Street held a well attended vernissage for the exhibition of Almonte based artist Sue Adams. The exhibition, titled Metaphor, comprises a collection of 20 drawings and sculptures including several new works being exhibited for the first time. Information from the gallery states that Ms. Adams works primarily with the human form, exploring themes of passion, pain, frailty and grace. She draws inspiration from historical movements in Classicism and Humanism.
The opening sculpture which greets the visitor is an interpretation of Leda and the Swan, a mythological tale in which the Greek god Zeus, in the form of a swan, seduces Leda, the wife of Tyndareus, King of Sparta.
The sculptures are beautifully modelled and display ideal human forms, A pair of etched glass panels in the entrance also display a mastery of the human anatomy and an aesthetic appreciation of its essential elegance.
Ms. Adams’ work is not cast, as the smooth surfaces and detailed modelling might suggest. She starts with a wire armature and builds layers of hydrostone/hydrocal (a form of sculptor’s plaster) to create her forms.
Sue Adams studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Nice, France in 1973 and completed her BFA at the University of Windsor in 1976. Over the past 30 years, her work been exhibited in many group and solo exhibitions in Canada, including in Ottawa, Toronto, and Montreal, and in the United States and France. Her sculpture Leda was installed at the Welcome Centre at the University of Windsor in 2015. Born in Windsor, Ontario she continues to work from her studio near Almonte, Ontario.
The exhibition continues until April 16, 2017
