Ashley Roane’s love of the ocean and shore are woven into every piece of her work in the new exhibit ‘From the Sea’ on display and online at the Jessie Edwards Gallery on Block Island from 16 – 29 August.
This RI based artist has an eye for detail as she creates her sculptured shells from stoneware clay. Each piece is as unique as the found shell she uses for inspiration. Creating the macro from the micro allows her to study and enlarge the fascinating details of her finds, giving her pieces a lifelike look and feel. The surface of each shell has an encaustic finish, a mixture of beeswax and resin with a hint of oil pigment, which Ashley builds up layer by layer until the shell has the look and feel she is after. These pieces are not only a visual joy to behold but they also have a tactile element which makes the experience all the more special.
The broken and worn shells the artist uses as reference for her pieces have all been found on New England shores. She works with the small shells she finds and imagines their stories as she creates the clay. Each one intrigues her and she loves rendering the story for others to see and witness. She plays with scale as she works, incorporating all the imperfections and rough edges of her model shell.
Four of the pieces, ‘Kettle Cove’, ‘Moonstone’, ‘Cooneymus’ and ‘Golden Grove’ are whelks while ‘Bean Point’ is a periwinkle. They range in size from 10-13” wide, 18-21” long and 7-11” high. The colors and shapes and curves are detailed so well it is hard to imagine these are not real shells. For anyone who has a love of beach combing, these sculptures will bring a joy and remembrance to times spent by the sea enjoying all the offerings of the shoreline.
The exhibit opens on Saturday August 16 and runs through the 29th.