Aspen sculptor Molly Peacock is staging a solo exhibition, titled “Morphous,” at the Art Base in Basalt opening Friday, April 12.
It marks Peacock’s first solo show in 20 years and will begin with an opening reception on Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. “Morphous” will be up through May 3.
Representing shape and form in clay sculptures and charcoal drawings, Peacock explores the contemporary dialogue about the delicate balance – or imbalance – between human and natural environments.
The artist has been in the Advanced Mentored Studies program at Anderson Ranch Arts Center for the last two years, studying under Chris Gustin and Randy Johnston. “What I’ve discovered is that the centerpiece of my work is change,” Peacock said in the gallery’s announcement. “I’m interested in how the landscape changes, how that mirrors what we experience as people, and how it branches out from there. Some of these pieces have a sense of imminent failure, like they are about to melt and change into something else—such as snow or aging bodies. I like how these gentle, sagging, colorful forms have almost humorous, anthropomorphic personalities.”
Passionate about both art and nature, Peacock first pursued science, receiving a BS in environmental science and biology from Middlebury College and an MES in Conservation Biology from Yale University. She left the conservation field and later received a BFA in Ceramics at the University of Wyoming and an MFA in Ceramics from Ohio University.
Peacock lived in Grand Junction for eight years before relocating with her family to Snowmass Village, where she now works as an independent ceramic artist. She has exhibited and taught ceramics nationally. Peacock has been a resident artist at the Red Brick Center for the Arts in Aspen for the past seven years.