Deeping the Wonder

By Marcy Stamper - Methow ValleyNews

Bringing together acrylic landscapes by Cheryl Wrangle and Sue Marracci, sculptures in blown glass and mixed media by Laurie Kain, and shoji-inspired lamps and sculptures by Laura Karcher, Confluence Gallery’s new exhibit is an evocation of the sensuality and impermanence suggested by the show’s title, “ Deepening the Wonder,” which comes from the writing of the 14th-century Sufi poet Hafez
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Wrangle is showing landscapes of the Methow – mist-draped mountains and forest views marked by abstracted tree trunks – coupled with the dynamic geometry of boats in Mexico. In all her art, Wrangle said she celebrates movement and explores the relationship between positive and negative space.

In her vibrant landscapes, Marracci shares Wrangle’s clear passion for a direct experience of nature. Her paintings evoke frothy, windswept waters off the coast of Hawaii and undulating meadows and mountains closer to home.

“Any landscape is a journey for me. Once I get into it, it’s a journey of color and mood and imagination and getting lost,” she said.

Laurie Kain became intrigued by the hourglass form, which she develops and honors in many of her glass sculptures. “I really liked the idea of an hourglass where you can’t see time passing,” she said of her mirror-flecked glass assemblages. The shape also allowed her to explore ideas of intimacy and a feminine sensibility. Many of Kain’s sculptures incorporate found objects such as a jawbone and tarnished chains and rings.

Laura Karcher started with the basic simplicity of shoji lamps but expanded the aesthetic and materials to invite curving forms and layers.

“It’s going beyond the surface of the lamp, to invite the viewer and bring a focus to the interior,” she said. Several of her sculptural lamps combine objects such as rusted machine parts and worm-eaten walnut branches.


Photo by Sue Misao: Laurie Kain’s glass sculpture, “Shakti,” is surrounded by acrylic paintings by Sue Marracci.