Works on Paper

Frank Lloyd Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of sixteen works on paper, including etchings and monotypes, by Peter Voulkos. Although primarily known as a ceramic sculptor, Voulkos maintained an interest in painting and printmaking throughout his fifty year career.

The exhibition also includes three ceramic plates and two teabowls that demonstrate the interrelationship of surface quality and incised line. Voulkos' line quality, alternately sinuous and deeply incised into the etching plate, is directly related to the use of sgraffito in the surface of his ceramic sculptures. Through his inventive approach to printmaking, Voulkos created rugged, tactile line quality on the flat plane of his monotypes and etchings. He further developed the surface of these works by using his hands and fingers to apply additional unique elements. These elements convey the same sense of process and dynamism present in his ceramic sculptures.

The images depicted in the works on paper also relate to the forms Voulkos created in clay. Despite the similarity of imagery, the works on paper were never intended as plans or drawings for future works. Rather they were an extension of the ceramic works, allowing Voulkos to explore and develop his ideas in a linear format. Throughout his career, Voulkos was known an innovator. As ceramic sculptor Kenneth Price has stated, "In one way or another, he influenced everyone who makes art out of clay, since he was the main force in liberating the material…he broke down all the rules."

In her obituary for The New York Times, Roberta Smith wrote: "Firmly grounded as a craftsman, Mr.Voulkos went on to reinvent ceramics as a meeting ground for painting and sculpture. During his 50-year career Mr. Voulkos was influential as a thinker, teacher and fearless innovator who followed a constantly changing course." This is the second major exhibition to be drawn from the Voulkos Family Trust since the sculptor's passing on February 16, 2002. Additional works have been selected from Anderson Ranch Art Center in Snowmass, Colorado, and include works on paper that have never been exhibited in the area.