This week, Viz City spotlights a remarkable show at the Emerald Art Center featuring life partners, photographer David Simone and ceramicist Karen Perkins. Their show is a testament to their half-century of shared life and complementary sensibilities, despite their distinct processes. David's digital photography allows for precise alterations, while Karen’s physical process is marked by spontaneity and risk.
Karen Perkins creates sculptural ceramics inspired by the American Southwest. She’s fascinated by natural holes and ancient ruins, translating them into her forms, and even seeing them in the oak outside her studio. Her pieces start on the wheel but wander through stretching, carving, and adding slabs. She works in a series, letting go of expectations to find unexpected surprises in the process. Karen’s earthenware pieces absorb smoke for coloration, some smoldered in sawdust, others through Naked Raku, a high-risk process that yields variable and sometimes magical results from the fire.
David Simone's photography journey comes from a love of the natural world. He abstracts his images using infrared photography, which records invisible wavelengths of light. His raw photos are just a starting point; he continually explores new ways to interpret them, never quite sure what direction the final image will take. Both artists share a belief that it is the journey, not the destination, that matters.
Their work, as a couple, celebrates this journey beautifully. You can see how her ceramic forms reach and yearn, perfectly paired with his luminous landscapes. This show is a powerful dialogue between two creative spirits. The exhibition is open until August 29th.
