Mercurial Tension
“Mercurial Tension” features work by Philadelphia artists Wendy Liss and Elizabeth Pratt. Liss’s ceramic sculptures, shaped by intuitive gestures and the unpredictable outcomes of pit-firing, embody a dynamic play of textures and colors. Pratt’s canvases explore themes of anxiety and healing through symbolic knots that evolve from sources of fear into symbols of unity and resilience. Together, their works weave a narrative that invites viewers to contemplate the expressive potential of art in transforming emotions and perceptions, offering a harmonious exploration of artistic process and chance encounters.
About the Artists:
Wendy Liss is an artist, designer, and educator. Her current work consists of handbuilt ceramic sculptures and sculptural vessels that explore various clay bodies and firing methods. Inspired by nature and the human figure, Liss works out of her studio in the suburbs of Philadelphia.
Artist Statement:
I create hand-built ceramic sculptures and sculptural vessels that convey a sense of gestural movement. My studio practice is inspired by intuitive activity
that focuses on dynamic form, textural contrast, balance, and the joy I get working in a manner that makes it impossible for me to know the exact outcome
when I begin. Each time I flip or turn a piece over to work on another side, a range of unanticipated possibilities are revealed. This shift in perspective
influences my perception and dictates how I proceed. I approach each sculpture as I approach my life, prompting a balance between conscious intention and intuitive response in the moment. The finished surface of these sculptures is the result of a tinted clay body and the pit-firing process, where colors and patterns are created from smoke and ash. This technique adds an element of surprise and unpredictability to the end product that I really enjoy. I love the physicality of malleable clay and the new challenges it presents to me each day I enter the studio.
Elizabeth Pratt is a visual artist with a focus on painting and drawing. Originally from North Carolina, she spent most of her life in the South before moving to
Philadelphia in 2020. She has exhibited nationally and her work is in private collections throughout the U.S. In addition to her art, she enjoys the outdoors and has participated in several wildlife research projects exploring the effects of climate change.
Artist Statement:
Making art for me has always been a means of finding my place the world. My process is highly intuitive and open, a response to the moment. Inspiration
comes to me in many forms. Anything can become a starting point; what matters is where it goes and what happens along the way, what gets recorded, what gets erased. I love the living world in all its forms, the temporal and changing nature of being, the wild, mysterious, and the unknown.
These paintings are from a series about anxiety and ritualistic healing. Using knots as symbols of anxiety, the paintings present an opportunity to examine negative emotions and find beauty and positivity in them as a path to wellness. Knots also represent unity and connection, and hold together what seems in danger of falling apart. In the paintings, they take on an almost human aspect, transforming fear and dread into a comforting presence.
