June 7, 2013
Jeff OphimeArts Center Director
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It is always exciting to have art on display here at the Arts Center that is unexpected and unique. The sculptures by Florida artist Donald Kolberg fit this description perfectly.
The bold ribbon-like painted metal sculptures in the Vereen Gallery appear to have been formed by the wind. And the mesh wire figurative sculptures take on the shape of the human form as if the wire is silk draped over a body.
To fully appreciate the mesh figures you need to see how lighting causes shadows to form on walls behind the sculpture. The play of light through the porous wire makes the shadows appear to be pencil drawings behind the sculpture. This dynamic effect adds to the beauty of these figurative sculptures.
Donald Kolberg was born in Levittown New York in 1951. Since graduation from high school he has been on the road, living between east and west coast as well as spending time overseas. During that time he attended a number of colleges in New York and California. He graduated with a Fine Arts Degree from California State University, Los Angeles and went on to graduate studies at Otis Art Institute also in Los Angeles. He taught at the Los Angeles School of Art and helped with founding Arts Core, an organization dedicated to the open dialogue and display of the work of emerging artists.
Donald travels back and forth across the United States exhibiting his painting and sculpture works. His work currently includes steel mesh sculpture, steel ribbon sculpture, glass collage and contemporary painting using spray paint medium. He is also exploring a new concept of deconstruction landscapes.
His art is in numerous private collections and galleries and continues to be exhibited in exceptional venues across the United States, including the Colquitt County Arts Center in Moultrie, Ga.
Kolberg stated, “I actually found wire art by accident more than five years ago, I was working in my studio, or more accurately, waiting for the muse, when I found myself doodling with a piece of picture wire. I was fascinated with the way it lent itself to the kind of gesture painting of human form I was exploring. I quickly jumped to aluminum and steel screening to create more forms.”
Six very large paintings selected from the Albany Museum of Art are also on display in the Vereen Gallery. The paintings and the sculptures compliment each other beautifully. The exaggerated scale of the paintings and the pleasing shapes and colors of the metal sculptures combined create an enjoyable gallery experience. Please find the time to see for yourself what an amazing artist Donald Kolberg is.
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