Hot Wax Painting and Chain Saws: New HAM Exhibition Features Art of Michelle Stuhl and Howard Wer

CLINTON, N.J. - March 19, 2013 - PRLog -- CLINTON, NJ (March 19, 2013) – Michelle Stuhl and Howard Werner may not collaborate when they create, but with a shared passion for nature and design, their works complement each other quite nicely.

“I think creative people find a kinship with each other,” said Stuhl, whose most recent work with encaustic (hot wax) paint pays homage to the Incan civilization. “It’s nothing we thought about, but when you want to be with a person and live a life together and see the world together, you have a shared foundation of a point of view and that grows.”

Their art has been shown together six times recently, with the latest stop here at the Museum. Their exhibition, “Michelle Stuhl / Howard Werner,” runs through May 12.

Here’s a look at how the husband-and-wife artists approach their craft:

Howard Werner

If a tree falls in the forest, chances are Howard Werner will hear about it.

Werner wields a gas-powered chain saw as if it were a paint brush, carving sculptures and furniture from enormous tree trunks.  The trees used to create his art come from fallen timber on his property, or are resourced from various tree services and loggers. With studios on the west and east coasts, there’s no shortage of wood for Werner’s artistic creations.

“I don’t have any problems getting the wood I need,” Werner said. His work saves trees headed for a chipper at a garbage dump and gives them new life as museum art.

The process from conception to completion can take from one to three years. Werner first designs the piece then searches for the tree that meets his needs. He’ll undertake an initial tree carving that can take up to a month to complete. Then he waits for the wood to season: a process that can last three years depending upon the size of the piece. When the wood is ready, Werner re-carves and refines the piece, sculpting it carefully until it’s finished. “The process is very time and labor intensive,” Werner said.

The completed work is wondrous. One particularly noteworthy piece in the exhibition is a pine chair which features a broad sweeping back, a curved plane and various sculpted elements. The piece also holds special meaning for Werner. “We were clearing some property for our studio (in the Catskills) and the wood came from that. I’m very happy with the sculpted aspects of this piece and the connection of it coming from when we were building the studio.”

Werner draws his sculptural inspiration and influences from multiple sources including Romanian-born sculptor Constantin Brancusi and Japanese-American artist and landscape architect Isamu Noguchi.

Werner began sculpting from large tree trunks in the mid-1970s. While studying woodworking and furniture design at the School for American Crafts at the Rochester Institute of Technology, a teacher introduced him to working with a chainsaw, and Werner took to it quickly. Initially Werner worked on a mix of carved and constructed pieces but over time he gravitated toward carving.

“After years of working with them, it’s become rather second nature . . . and I enjoy the process a lot,” Werner said. “It’s a visceral sensation with the motor going.”

Werner has been awarded grants from The National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Fellowship for the Arts. His work can be found in the collections of the Museum of Arts and Design in Manhattan and The Mint Museum of Craft & Design in Charlotte.

Michelle Stuhl

When traveling to Machu Picchu in 2008, Michelle Stuhl packed her sketch books, cameras and pencils like she had for every trip she’s ever made. But this time was different: While in Peru, the ruins of the long-lost Incan civilization resonated deeply within and stirred her imagination.

“The impact of the devastation that the Incan culture experienced because of its riches was the most touching part of my experience in Peru,” Stuhl said, noting the destruction the Spaniards had inflicted to satisfy its unquenchable thirst for gold.

“At first I wasn’t sure how to create work that connected to that. . . The challenge for me was how to represent it. Is it people screaming and blood being spilled? Instead it turned out to be iconic shapes and forms that represented so many of the ethnographic images I was able to see.”

She created a series of encaustics based on the trip, several of which can be seen in this exhibition. These works explore the complex dualism of Quechuan riches (the Quechuans are the people of the central Andes) and treasures as both the emblems of the culture’s achievements at the height of the Incan Empire and the coveted objects of its downfall at the hands of the Spanish conquistadors. Stuhl’s use of gold and a very deep crimson in works like “Quri Yawarwan (gold with blood),” represents the cultural riches and the resultant destruction.

“What I hope people get from the work is that what we think is precious in life is worth examining,” Stuhl said. “Is it worth a civilization to be crushed protecting its riches? Is it worth what we do and seek in life just for the riches?

Stuhl studied fine art sculpture, before working with transparent materials such as sheets of plexi and glass. When she later switched to encaustic, her knowledge helped her create a translucent quality to her paintings.

Michelle’s work has shown at numerous galleries including the Gebert Gallery in Venice Ca., The Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and the Wexler Gallery in Philadelphia. This exhibition was made possible in part by the sponsorship of the Windgate Charitable Foundation.

ADDITIONAL NOTE: This exhibition is running concurrently with “Carol Rosen: Journey Into Darkness.” Guided tours for these exhibitions are available for adults and children grades 7 and up. Please contact the Museum for information at 908-735-8415.

GENERAL INFORMATION FOR THE PUBLIC

The Museum is at 7 Lower Center St. in Clinton, New Jersey, 08809. Our website is www.hunterdonartmuseum.org and our telephone number is 908-735-8415. Hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 11 am – 5 pm and suggested admission is $5.

ABOUT THE HUNTERDON ART MUSEUM

The Hunterdon Art Museum presents changing exhibitions of contemporary art, craft and design in a 19th century stone mill that is on the National Register of Historic Places.  

Programs are made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and by funds from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the Hunterdon County Cultural & Heritage Commission, New Jersey Cultural Trust, The Horizon Foundation of New Jersey and corporations, foundations, and individuals.  The Hunterdon Art Museum is a wheelchair accessible space.  Publications are available in large print.  Patrons who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired may contact the Museum through the New Jersey Relay Service at (TYY) 1 (800) 852-7899.