Swarthmore
Friends of the Arts
121 Park Avenue
Swarthmore, PA 19081
www.swarthmorearts.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 12, 2011

"Second Life"
Claudia McGill

Local Collage and Clay Artist Presents "Second Life" Exhibit

An exhibition of collage works on paper and ceramics by Wyncote artist Claudia McGill, will be on display from January 4, 2012 through January 30, 2012 at Swarthmore Borough Hall, 121 Park Avenue, Swarthmore. The public is invited to the artists’ reception on Friday January 6 from 5 to 7pm, which is scheduled as part of Swarthmore’s First Friday and Gallery Night.

An exhibition of collage works on paper and ceramics by Wyncote artist Claudia McGill, will be on display from January 4, 2012 through January 30, 2012 at Swarthmore Borough Hall, 121 Park Avenue, Swarthmore. The public is invited to the artist's reception on Friday January 6 from 5 to 7pm, which is scheduled as part of Swarthmore’s First Friday and Gallery Night.

The exhibit, entitled "Second Life," presents the work of area artist Claudia McGill, who says of her exuberant collage works: “I work in an abstract style in which the world is recognizable but amended to suit my own viewpoint and outlook. I favor bright colors and bold shapes; I use paper and paint interchangeably in layers, one after another, until I’ve reached my goal of creating a work that expresses emotion and interest. My work reflects my daily life, my emotions and feelings, and chance ideas that catch hold and won’t leave until I do something with them. My objective is to convey to the viewer a sense of optimism and hope, and the pleasure in everyday objects and events of life..” When asked about her artistic philosophy, she replies: ”I don’t have one. I make what I enjoy making and that’s about it.”

Her clay work, primarily hand built figurines, sculptures and relief tiles, has its roots in a class she took at a local arts center about 15 years ago, though her interest in clay went no further until about 5 years ago, when she took another class at an adult night school, and began to work more seriously.

“I enjoy the challenge of working in the round after many years of 2-D work. My subjects include everything from architecturally based building sculptures, to women figurines in flowing dresses, to tiles portraying dancing people or birds or fanciful animals. I also make mosaics using tiles I’ve made myself as well as creating sculptures incorporating concrete and tiles.”

Ms. McGill, a resident of Wyncote, is entirely self-taught. She describes herself as having come to art later in life and in a roundabout fashion. As a child she enjoyed crafts with her family but did not have any formal training in art. In her thirties she experimented with appliqué quilting and developed a style that used machine sewing to express ideas and feelings as a collage in fabric. Eventually wanting to spend more time on composition and less on sewing, she began to experiment with paper collage, basing her earliest collages on photos of landscapes, city scenes or objects which she then interpreted in collage using paper she painted with acrylic paints.

“As time passed my work grew more abstract and I became more interested in portraying feelings, emotions, memories, or imaginings, and that’s where I am today. I also began to use more and more found papers in addition to my own created papers.”

Because she came to art in her 40s, she entitled her show “Second Life” with the hope that “...that fact can remind others that a new path is possible at any time in life... In all my work I’m interested in expressing optimism, cheerfulness, and hope. I feel I’m very lucky to have found such a means of expression and I am grateful for the opportunity to create art.”

Her work is included in private and corporate collections in the United States and overseas, and has won awards and prizes in regional and international shows. She also teaches collage classes and workshops, and will be offering her first workshop at the Wallingford Community Arts Center this January. As well as creating art to be hung on the wall, she makes postcards, artist trading cards, note cards, embellished notebooks, etc.

The exhibit is sponsored by Swarthmore Friends of the Arts. For information about Swarthmore Friends of the Arts visit www.swarthmorearts.org or contact Exhibit Chair Michele Southworth, 610-543-1108, msouthworth@verizon.net.

Gallery hours are 8am-9pm Monday-Thursday, 8am-7pm Friday, 9am-5pm Saturday, and 1pm-5pm Sunday.