Kate Budd: tableau @ William Busta Gallery 11/22 A strange tabletop wonderland of motionless figures comes to life. Two long banquet-like tables run the length of the intimate gallery and are covered in fine, white table linens. Neatly displayed here and there are supple, organic pieces that are carved from paraffin, into irregular shapes, like unknown fruits, mollusks or even strange organs. The slightly transparent quality of the wax from which the works are carved, give them a subtle inner glow, as if the material was really a hardened gel.

A piece called chrysalis is suspended from the ceiling by a thin wire and its delicate wax shape is studded with pins so that it has the appearance like a delicate dandelion that has gone to seed. Another piece called squash (with bloat), is much heavier and dense in appearance. It looks like an old water balloon that has been pinched and belted with a cord wrapped around it a number of times. An interesting effect is made by pressing graphite powder into the surface of the paraffin, as in a piece entitled sac, which gives the illusion that this wax carving is really a sown pouch made from metallic cloth.

The organic shapes are intriguing, so much so that the artist allowed me to pick up a few of them. The palm-sized works are more heavy and dense then I anticipated, they also have a more solid surface. Because of their globular shapes, I expected their surfaces to be pliable and react to touch. The pieces that are less interesting are the more straightforward works such as ovary, which is a small pot-like vessel, tipped on its side, with its surface entirely covered by the graphite powder. The organic shapes are more abstracted and inviting. Their subtle surface textures of tiny ridges and scratched patterns add to their intrigue.

Even the tables in tableau came about after careful consideration. Their height was calculated so that the works would be displayed at the best viewing level, and the legs are crafted to be at a specific angle, from unconventional-sized wood. Kate Budd: tableau is showing at the William Busta Gallery, 2731 Prospect Avenue, through December 27, 2008. A spectacle of odd -- though natural -- forms.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Carol Drummond carolATdrummondesign.com
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