Artist Talk

6:30 – 8 PM

at Five Points Gallery

Free and open to all, doors open at 6 PM, light refreshments provided

Moderated by Cynthia Cooper

This Artist Talk will feature: Kat Owens, June Ahrens, Kathleen Anderson, Loren Eiferman, Susan Hoffman Fishman & Elška Greenspoon. 

About the Artists:

Kat Owens: Entangled and Ingested – TSB Gallery

Existing at the intersection of art and science, Kat Owens utilizes unrecyclable plastics and packaging to create life-sized portraits of animals harmed by pollution. These works emphasize the devastating impact of plastic waste on marine species, ranging from puffins to whales. These labor-intensive sewn collages offer a visual narrative to a shared vulnerability in the face of environmental collapse. Owens states, “By repurposing these materials, I aim to confront the permanence and ubiquity of plastic waste, while drawing attention to its devastating impact on ecosystems and species. By transforming discarded materials into portraits of beauty and loss, I hope to inspire a deeper understanding of the choices we make and their lasting impact on the natural world.”

Nature Reinvented – West Gallery

June Ahrens’ Forever Flowers reflect on grief in response to gun violence. The work is both a memorial and a protest, urging recognition, immediacy, and remembrance for the victims long after public attention fades. Formed organically with wire, found objects, and mixed media, these sculptures are based on natural flora; plants that are pulled from their roots, as well as neatly arranged bouquets. These flowers also use color to convey another layer of symbolism. Black flowers commonly represent farewells, mourning, rebirth, strength, and transformation.

Kathleen Anderson’s sculptural works foster ideas of sustainability and ecological awareness.  Her “plastiglomerates” or plastic rocks are created from melted and sculpted plastic waste, which she experiences in her daily life. Anderson states, “Inspired by the idea of Zero Waste, I strive to live a life with minimal waste through a process of regeneration and transformation of everything I throw away.”

Loren Eiferman crafts intricate sculptures made from sticks that are pieced together like a jigsaw. Her work is inspired by the Voynich Manuscripts, a 15^th-century manuscript filled with illustrations of plants that don’t actually exist in nature. Eiferman states, “The sculpture that is being constructed appears like my line drawing, but in space. I am interested in having my work appear as if it grew in nature, when in fact each sculpture is usually composed of hundreds of small pieces of wood that are seamlessly jointed together.”

Based on satellite imagery, Susan Hoffman Fishman’s Desertification series reflects on global concerns around water issues as they relate to climate change and geological time. These mixed media paintings incorporate elements of collage, cyanotype, drawing, and fragments of recycled work to stress the heavily textured landscapes.  Susan states, “I create landscapes that are unstable and disfigured. Constructed as highly fractured surfaces, the paintings characterize the landscapes of our time—receding coastlines, pockmarked expanses, the proliferation of sinkholes, and desert where there was once water.”

Drawn to the strength and transitional aspects of trees and the environment around her, Eliška Greenspoon’s photo-based works are built up with various layers of prints, mixed media, and alternative process photography.  She mimics nature’s growth and textures through the physical process of tearing, painting, burning, and adding to the surfaces. Greenspoon states, “Some of these images can be described as having endured a level of ‘creative violence’ resulting in a rich surface patina.”