The art of Reni
Moriarity and Selinda Sheridan
by Alec Clayton
The Weekly Volcano, Aug. 23, 2012
"White Iris" by Reni Moriarity |
Objets Trouvés is French for found objects, which very loosely describes
at least some of the work or parts of some of the works by Reni Moriarity and Selinda Sheridan at
Flow — another little gem of a show for this tiny gallery that’s open only for
Third Thursdays and by appointment.
Moriarity’s sumi and watercolor
paintings with collage and mixed media are nicely done, sweet and decorative. Selinda
Sheridan’s paper sculptures with sumi, found objects and other media are even
nicer.
"Chrysallis," by Selinda Sheridan |
Sheridan is showing a series of works
called “Meditating on Ink” that consists of long, thin cylindrical objects like
pieces of chalk or cigarettes in a pack that are lovely to look at. The
cylinders, laid side-by-side, are white and decorated with delicate gray sumi
painting. Verbal description does not do them justice. Almost minimalist and
very soft looking, there is much more to these pieces than meets the eye at
first glance. There are two versions of this work that lay flat in their boxes
on a stand and a third — the best piece in the show — which stands upright on a
small, book-holder-size easel.
Another piece by Sheridan that I
particularly like is “Remnants of Grief,” a small piece with cocoons-like forms
nestled one inside another like rocks inside a shell. They’re made of papier
mache, collage, sumi, a tea bag and a stone weight. The shell-like outer part
is crinkled like dried mud in a desert. I was told she created that effect by
doing the papeir mache over a blown-up balloon that was then deflated. However
it was done, it is a nice effect.
All of her sculptural pieces are in
tones of gray or in earth tones. She is also showing a group of four flat wall
pieces in sumi and collage. The best of these is a simple little painting
called “Tranquility: Barnacles & Rocks.”
"Inner Light" by Selinda Sheridan |
Moriarity’s paintings in watercolor,
sumi and collage are not as unique or as inventive. They are rather traditional
paintings or fruits and flowers with soft edges to a wet-on-wet technique. The
best of these are in a group of four paintings wall to the right and one on the
back wall, each of which has flowers integrated into an atmospheric background
that is painted with what appears to be some kind of resist technique — that
is, something placed on the paper to prevent the paint from adhering in certain
areas and then lifted off. These resist areas look like a tangle of leaves and
limbs from trees. Moriarity unifies the flowers and the backgrounds very
nicely.
Also featured is a collection of jewelry
by Lisa Von Wendel.
[Flow, Objets Trouvés, Third Thursdays and by appointment, through September, 301 Puyallup Ave., Tacoma, 253 255-4675]
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