Three Hundred Sixty Five: An Idea And The Reality

January 23 – February 26, 2016

a solo exhibition / installation by Eric Nelson

Opening Reception: Saturday, January 23, 4 – 6 pm

This event is FREE and open to the public.

Gallery Hours: Tues – Fri 12 – 5 pm, Sat 12 – 4 pm

After several years of making large sculptures, Eric Nelson decided to revisit his early interest in small scale work. He began a new project with the aim of creating one small carved wood sculpture a day for a year, with each piece carved from a 2 x 2 x 4 inch mahogany block.  In reality it took almost twelve years to complete the project, which he titled Three Hundred Sixty Five. The work is  inspired and informed by memory, direct observation and drawings.  He says: “Some of my earliest memories are playing with toys, figures and decorative objects. The materials, texture, color and method of manufacture of these objects interested me.  Most of them held a sense of intimacy and imaginative power that was transformative.  Also, the accessibility and tactility of these objects gave me great satisfaction and lasting pleasure. The sources for the sculptures are derived from invention, ancient, modern, and decorative art (including pottery, jewelry and amulets), plants, animals, geometric structures and ordinary objects. The first several pieces were feasible to make in one day.  As the project progressed the sculptures became more complex and time consuming.  This progression is evident as one views the whole project.”

Eric Nelson earned his B.A. from the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle, Chicago, IL, an M.A. and M.F.A. from the University of Iowa in Iowa City, IA.  He recently had a solo exhibition at Jackson Gallery, Town Hall Theater, Middlebury, VT, and his sculpture has been installed in public sculpture parks at James Madison University in Harrisonburg,VA; Navy Pier in Chicago, IL; and the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park in Lincoln, MA. His work has been included in numerous group exhibitions including In Grain:  Contemporary Wood Sculpture, Fleming Museum of Art, The University of Vermont, Burlington, VT; Flowers, Trees, Birds, Bees:  Nature Explored, PhotoPlace Gallery, Middlebury, VT; and A Cause for Art:  Alonzo Davis Fellowship Exhibit, Sande Webster Gallery, Philadelphia, PA. His awards include Fellowship Residencies from  Moulin à Nef, Auvillar, France; Virginia Center for the Arts, Sweet Briar, VA; and  Sculpture Space Inc., Utica, NY. He received The Albert Jacobson Memorial Award from Silvermine Guild Arts Center, New Canaan, CT and has twice received Fellowships from the Vermont Council on the Arts. He recently retired from Middlebury College where he taught sculpture and drawing for thirty-three years. To learn more about Eric Nelson visit www.ericnelsonfineart.com.

This exhibition is funded in part by Lake George Kayak Company and the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency. The Courthouse Gallery hours during exhibitions are Tuesday through Friday 12 – 5 pm, Saturday 12 – 4 pm, and all other times by appointment. The Courthouse Gallery is located at the side entrance of the Old County Courthouse, corner of Canada and Lower Amherst Streets, Lake George, NY.