The Shape of Presence
@ The Nest Gallery at Clay & Company,
816 Waukegan Rd, Deerfield, IL 60015
Opening Saturday, August 23rd, at 7 PM
On view through Sunday, September 28th
“The Shape of Presence” show at The Nest Gallery presents ceramics, paintings, and photos by artists Claire Willis and Andrea Kielpinski. Wood-fired clay vessels by Willis are a counterpoint to richly imagined and textured paintings by Kielpinski, as well as her acutely-observed black and white photographs. The show opens Saturday, August 23, 2025, and runs through September 28. The opening reception is on August 23 from 7-9 pm and will feature the artists speaking about their work. The Nest Gallery is on the lower level of Clay & Company, 816 Waukegan Road, Deerfield, IL.
Forming clay on a potter’s wheel, or translating feeling into images, requires a palpable attention. How can an artist cultivate this awareness in themselves–and offer it to others? In our over-busy lives, we all need gentle promptings to pause and reset. Claire Willis and Andrea Kielpinski have shaped a rich array of tangible reminders to do so.
Willis and Kielpinski describe the show as a conversation between vessels and images. Willis’s elegant wood-fired pieces embody earth and fire. Kielpinski’s abstract paintings offer a response through multiple layers and textures, while her more representational work (“Sphinx as a Young Girl” series), answers through reimagined myth. Kielpinski’s understated black and white photos offer yet more hints–the beauty hidden in the everyday.
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Tags: Andrea Kielpinski, Claire Willis, Clay & Company, Deerfield, North Shore, The Nest Gallery, The Shape of Presence
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