Looking Up! by Amanda Duchen and Chris Ferguson
Works by painter Chris Ferguson, and ceramic artist Amanda Duchen. Images in this Viewing Room taken by R.F. Wilton
Looking Up! by Architect/Ceramic Artist Amanda Duchen and Oil Painter Chris Ferguson, is an open invitation to keep our chins up and look to the skies!
In Amanda Duchen’s work, Looking Up! is exactly what is going on with her large, wobbly and improbable ceramic heads she’s fired in her Raku kiln and tethered to a series of poles. ”Through my pieces the eyes gaze up towards brighter times and safe futures, where emotion filled creatures dream about the past and the present,” says Duchen. Looking up! to the heavens, the other half of the exhibition displays beautifully painted New Haven skyscapes that emote the hopeful sense of looking ahead, by painter Chris Ferguson. “As an oil painter inspired by years of Bible study,” Ferguson says, "I hope these paintings will remind everyone to keep Looking Up! and to keep taking time to appreciate the wonders of creation.”
As each body of work speaks to the notion of better times ahead for us all, as a combination, “it is especially meaningful that two artists are exhibiting their art in an integrated way - a symbol of how working together enriches the creative experience and also how the combination of our pieces is more meaningful than the pieces individually. We have witnessed such teamwork through the extraordinary efforts of people and communities coming together to manage the challenges of the past year.” says Duchen.
Amanda Duchen was born in South Africa, and obtained her degree in architecture. Since then, she has worked as a licensed architect in the UK, New York and Connecticut. She is a member of the American Institute of Architects in New York and Connecticut. Her architectural work is mainly residential, both new and renovating old. As well as an architect, Amanda is a ceramic artist with a studio in Woodbridge, CT. She is a member of the Silvermine Guild of Artists in New Canaan, CT and an artist member of Kehler Liddell Gallery in New Haven, CT. Her training as an architect can be seen throughout her various ceramic pieces, where she plays with line, form and space in often unusual ways. Her repertoire of ceramic work spans bowls, vessels, sculpture and mobiles, always experimenting and searching for new ways to use the magical medium of clay.
Chris Ferguson remembers enjoying drawing ever since he was a small child. During high school, he attended E.C.A. (Educational Center for the Arts) in New Haven, CT, an experience that he says allowed him to explore his creativity in new ways. He then went on to earn a degree in Illustration from Paier College of Art in Hamden, CT, with the intention of embarking on a career in children's book illustration. However, he quickly realized his heart belonged to fine art, and has been painting and exhibiting his work for the last 20+ years. His work has been shown in local venues in and around New Haven, including DaSilva Gallery and Kehler Liddell Gallery. Currently, his primary focus is on local scenery and landscapes.