Erling Sjovold

August 5—September 17, 2000

A voice of confirmation

sculpture by

K E N K O R T E N

&

E R L I N G S J O V O L D

Recent Paintings

Reception for the artists

Friday, August 18

5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Ken Korten

The works of Ken Korten cause responses that are equally joyful and surprising. Much of the artist’s output is based on his devotion to the message of calming, centering and grounding. A prolonged period of introspection during recovery from a life-threatening illness was followed by a creative partnership with Nature as a guiding presence in Ken’s work and education. Working with patterns that have come to him through his own creative process, Ken’s work includes installations allowing for viewer participation as well as wind-activated carved wood and geometric patterns of folded metal. His sculptures are praised for the feelings they evoke as much as for their innate beauty and incredibly fine workmanship. Ken’s works are included in prestigious collections, corporate and bank lobbies and homes across the country.

Erling Sjovold

LACUNA GALLERY is proud to show the metaphorical landscapes of Erling Sjovold.

These large scale paintings are opulent, serene and as precisely rendered as 17th-century paintings, but Sjovold combines naturalistic observation with what he terms “protracted improvisation” to create works which are more than mere landscapes—they are reflections on Western civilization, made arresting through subtle manipulations of viewpoint and juxtaposition of objects.

Growing up in Santa Barbara, Sjovold began drawing at the age of two. His first drawings, along with the family home, perished in the Sycamore fire of 1977.

After graduating from local schools, including a period at Santa Barbara City College, Erling moved on to UC Berkeley. He received his BA and then spent several years doing graphic illustration, working as a laborer, teaching junior college, painting in the Mojave desert, and even briefly teaching at a state prison before entering The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he was awarded an MFA in 1990.

Although Sjovold now teaches at the University of Richmond in Virginia, his work shows the deep influence of camping and backpacking trips in California when he was a child as well as more recent painting trips to the Sierras and western deserts.

Erling Sjovold - Paintings

Korten/Sjovold