Cold Spring Open Studio Tour Will Feature Tony Moore and More
By Abby Luby
When sculptor Tony Moore opens his wood-fire kiln, a blast of intense heat rushes out from the deep, white-hot chamber and penetrates the air. This Japanese style Anagama-Noborigama kiln spans 18 feet and fires up to over 2000 degrees Fahrenheit, slow roasting raw materials chosen by Moore to produce his unique and exquisite work.
This year, the public can see this hybrid kiln as part of the Cold Spring Arts Annual Open Studio Tour on Saturday, Oct. 13 and Sunday, Oct. 14th. Now in its second year, the Open Studio tour will feature nationally and internationally known Hudson Valley artists who work in ceramics, glass, painting, video, installation, printmaking, and sculpture. Visiting these artists’ studios offers a firsthand glimpse of where the creative magic actually happens.
Moore will show his work in a new but unfinished gallery he and his wife Dr. Cynthia Ligenza are building adjacent to the studio at 78 Trout Brook Road in Cold Spring. The show is entitled “Tony Moore: Painting with Fire” and will include his “Platters,” high-fired ceramic canvases whose embedded earth elements are captured in a molten glaze. Moore uses botanical motifs in his work like a chef yearning to delight the palate with an array of seasonings.
“I take actual leaves, seeds and twigs and press them in the surface of the clay,” he explains. “These elements represents a life-giving force of nature, not just a decoration, but the idea of the continuity of life.”
In one large Noborigama platter, Moore manipulates the ceramic glaze as if it were paint, rotating the platter to transform the thick, pale runny globs into a landscape of white hills, some reaching beyond the frame. He says viewers have described his platters as “other worldly with a surreal topography.” Another platter uses white glaze, or shino, with copper drips and oxide. A trail of small, pointillist impressions of deep ochres shadowed by soft teal-blue drops dot the thick, white glaze. There is an element of chance as Moore allows the yet un-cooked work to slowly morph while in the conflagrating atmosphere of the kiln, taking anywhere from three days to a week. He is very cognizant of the ancient and primal practice of controlling a contained, inferno blaze to create tools and artifacts – justifying his use of this ancient type of kiln used in 5th century Japan.
“Using the kiln is very dramatic, in the sense that firing ceramic is thousands of years old,” Moore said.
Moore built his Anagama-Noborigama kiln with two chambers, each yielding varying levels of heat that produces different patinas and textures.
“I can use the exact same materials and put them in each chamber, and because the atmosphere in the firing process is different, you get different results,” he said.
For decades, Moore’s art has explored an aesthetic both representational and abstract. As a British-American artist, Moore’s work is in international museum collections, including the Guggenheim Museum. He is the recipient of a Louis Comfort Tiffany Award, CAPS Grant and Sally and Milton Avery Fellowship. He received his MFA in Sculpture from Yale University.
Moore is excited about the Cold Spring Arts Annual Open Studio tour.
“The tour will focus attention on the art and the artists who work and reside in this community. In Cold Spring and Garrison there is a high caliber of artists who bring commerce to the community and, in turn, the community supports them. It’s a collaborative process,” he said.
The success and popularity of last year’s first open studio attracted some 39 artists to join the Cold Spring Arts group. CSA founder and glass artist Barbara Galazzo said visiting the artists’ studios offers a more personal experience that is less intimidating than the usual gallery experience.
“Viewers get to see what goes on behind closed doors, how the artist’s creativity stirs them into action, and the processes involved in getting to the finished product. The open studio format invites meaningful dialogue between artist and viewer,” Galazzo said.
Along with Moore, other high profile artists opening their studios include Susan English, Thomas Huber, Carla Goldberg, Jaanika Peerna, Julie Tooth, Alex Uribe and Lesli Uribe. The weekend will also feature other exciting art events such as “CURRENT 2012”, a sculpture exhibition presented by Garrison Art Center on the grounds of Boscobel House and Gardens, Collaborative Concepts at Saunders Farm, a sculpture exhibition of over 70 sculptures, the Van Brunt Projects at The Living Room and The ArtFull Living Designer Show House. A detailed schedule for the weekend and a very clear map is posted on www.coldspringarts.com. A kick-off party is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 12 at Philipstown.Info located at 69 Main Street in Cold Spring and will feature one work from each artist included in the open studio tour. All events and exhibits are free.
