“Energetic water gushing over the crack of a cliffside. A bright orange poppy pushing through a bed of ash after a forest fire. A glistening geode discovered among the earth-tones of a creek floor. The comfort and connection felt in the glowing embers of a campfire against the night sky.”
This is how Nicole Stahl describes her mixed media sculpture exhibition “Transplants” which was inspired by her explorations into nature and love of the natural world.
Stahl’s work combines glass and ceramic, creating exquisite three-dimensional images that evoke the familiar and the unfamiliar combined in an intriguing mix.
“These forms leave lingering questions as to whether they are from the ocean, the desert, or even the forest, evoking a sense of belonging in many places yet nowhere at the same time,” according to Stahl.
The opening for the exhibit will be held Oct. 11 at the Learning Resource Center Art Gallery at Cerro Coso Community College’s Ridgecrest campus –where the magic of Stahl’s work will be a perfect complement to Cerro Coso’s beautiful gallery space.
The event will begin at 6 p.m. with Stahl speaking at 6:30 p.m. Refreshments and wine will be available, thanks to the generosity of the CCCC Foundation.
“Stahl’s exhibition is part of the ongoing mission of the Visual and Performing Arts Department Gallery to bring graduate-level artwork from the greater art world to Cerro Coso students and the Ridgecrest community,” said Professor of Art Tanner McGuire.
Stahl brings an impressive background to her work. Born in Dayton Ohio, she graduated from Kent State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Glass and holds a Master of Fine Art in Sculpture from California State, San Bernadino. She was awarded the Dr. Jerrold Bellitz fully supported scholarship at the Penland School of Craft in 2014, a teaching assistant scholarship to Haystack Mountain School of Craft and a fully supported scholarship to attend Pilchuck Glass school, both in 2016.
Stahl has shown her work in exhibitions across the country including venues such as the Foundry Art Centre in St. Charles, Missouri, Huntington Beach Art Center in Huntington Beach, California, and Flame Run Gallery, in Louisville Kentucky.
She is currently a 3D Visual Arts teacher at Harvard-Westlake School in Studio City, California, where she teaches Ceramics, Glass and Sculpture.
For more information on Nicole Stahl see www.nicolestahl.com
For more information on the Cerro Coso Department of Visual and Performing Arts see Visual & Performing Arts (cerrocoso.edu)
For more information on the CCCC Foundation see CCCC Foundation (cerrocoso.edu)
