Cathie Bleck’s Histories in Black and White at the Shaker Historical Society’s Lissauer Gallery

The Shaker Historical Society’s Lissauer Art Gallery at 16740 South Park Blvd in Shaker Heights features art from Northeast Ohio artists.

Founded by Jack and Linda Lissauer, this intimate gallery is designed to encourage new and emerging artists, promote an appreciation of art and support local artists. All exhibits for the museum and gallery are vetted by a Community Advisory Board. Since 2012, this gallery has forged partnerships with leading galleries, such as Bonfoey Gallery, The Maria Neil Art Project, and Tregoning & Co.

 

Lissauer-Gallery-Shaker-Historical-Sacrifice II (framed diptych) 19.5 x 32 4500

We are proud to present the work of Cathie Bleck, an internationally respected artist who is known for her distinctive works in scratchboard and kaolin clay board.  Her stylized forms are cut through inks and handmade pigments, revealing the white of the kaolin clay beneath. It is a process similar in concept to woodblock printing.

The Lissauer Art Gallery believes that the artist herself is most capable of describing the exhibit. In her own words:

 

When I was a girl I fell in love with darkness.  The tools I work with–pen, ink, fine knives and clay–became natural choices for someone drawn to observe and record the world in close detail, and to best orchestrate the balance between opposing forces. Through the exploration of symbolic narrative imagery, carved into earth’s clay; I speak to relationships that are intrinsic, permeating through human experience.  I rely on intense contrasts of tone and imagery. My focus is on the dualities of the interconnectedness of life; observing the equilibrium all species are challenged to establish in a world of constant change.

 

… (at the Lissauer Gallery) I will showcase a mini retrospective of my explorations and discoveries in kaolin clay paintings over the past thirty years; both works on paper (scratchboard ) and panels (clayboard).

 

Many of the works are dark, but the light in these compositions is always moving the viewer in some direction. I think of the shadows as a kind of poetry that reaches into our subconscious, providing a transitory space between the dark and light.

                                                                                                Cathie Bleck, 2015

 

Cathie Bleck: Histories in Black and White: November 20, 2015 – January 15, 2016

Opening Reception  6 – 8pm November 20

 

Lissauer Gallery, Shaker Historical Society

16740 South Park Boulevard

Shaker Heights, Ohio 44120

shakerhistory.org

216.921.1201.

 

Tuesday – Friday, 11am – 5pm

Sundays 2 -5 pm.

Admission is $5 adults, $3 children 6-12. Under 6 are free.