Local sculptor Amanda Ramsay, recipient of the 2018 Alleghany Meadows Fellowship, will showcase her newest works in a solo exhibition at the Art Base in Basalt opening Friday.
Titled “For[u]m,” the show includes works made of concrete, cardboard, resin and plaster. It runs through March 1. The Art Base will hold an opening reception on Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. as part of the 2nd Friday’s Artwalk in downtown Basalt. Ramsay will also lead a 3-D art-making session on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 10 a.m. at the Art Base.
A cardboard sculpture comprised of right angles and yellow accents dominates the entry wall, tempting you to continue into the gallery space, which is filled with petite structures. Many are rendered in soft yellows and oranges – bursts of spotlighted color against often-stark white backgrounds. “For[u]m” investigates shadows and light, sequence and order. The show incorporates sequences of shapes or patterns to establish either symmetry or asymmetry within the piece, whether it be on the wall or on metal stands.
“Shapes just come out of me when I start sketching or creating,” Ramsay said in the exhibition announcement. “I love architecture, and I do find myself staring at buildings a lot, so I’m sure that does translate to my work. I also find that my work is informed by urban landscapes.
“This exhibition is all about form, based on the title of show ‘For[u]m,'” Ramsay said in the exhibition announcement. “Playing with shapes, putting things together to create an overall form, using molds and models—mainly from concrete and resin, incorporating straight lines and angles. … The show will feel spacious. I do not like clutter.”
Originally from York, Pennsylvania, Ramsay was a member of the National Art Honor Society and a successful ceramic student in high school. But she did not pursue making art professionally until after a career in apparel design, merchandising and arts administration. Taking classes with well-known valley artist K Cesark learning basic casting techniques, Ramsay realized that she liked building and sculpting—moving from ceramics to porcelain to concrete and resin. She was the 2018 Carbondale Arts recipient of The Alleghany Meadows Fellowship, which she used to help support the making of this new body of work.