Powerful brushstrokes reflect the tradition of
the Far East representing this Year of the Horse with the work of Washington area
artist Tracie Griffith Tso in an exhibit at the Clinical Center at the National
Institutes of Health, July 14 through September 5, 2014.
This dual media exhibit explores Chinese
brushpainting on paper and pottery, focusing on the power and strength of the
horse, accompanied by a collection of spontaneous flower-bird compositions.
Ink paintings on rice paper show the lighter side
of the brush with snowy, moonlit backgrounds and soft water scenes. Black ink
adds contrast and movement to fish, birds, flowers and horses.
About the challenges of two mediums, she says,
"I can instantly see how my work will look on paper. Claywork is more temperamental
so each piece is a surprise."
An earthy echo is apparent in high-fire brown and
white stoneware as dimension adds texture, shine and curves to the equation.
Koi wind around a wine chiller, a black stallion dances across a platter and a
panda perches on a teapot. Handpainting on wheel-thrown and hand built pottery
is framed by symbolic patterning, peppered with auspicious red seals called
chops.
Griffith Tso began studying Chinese painting at
age 12 and specializes in spontaneous brushwork. The award-winning artist
developed her style with a teacher who was schooled by a master in Hong Kong.
Her introduction to pottery was as a teenager at a local art center, and she
returned to the clay medium in 2005, partnering with potter Patricia Ferrell at
Brushy Fork Creek Gallery in Crofton, Ky.
Traveling from her native California, Griffith
Tso has been teaching and lecturing nationwide about Chinese brushpainting, a
6,000-old technique. A Torpedo Factory associate, she is a member of the
Washington Ceramic Guild and the Kiln Club, exhibiting monthly at the Torpedo
Factory Art Center's
Scope Gallery. The artist and her husband, along
with her muse and rabbit, Cleopatra, reside in North Reston.
This exhibition and sale event runs from July 12
to Sept. 5 and is open to the public. Twenty percent of the proceeds of sales
will go toward for the Patient Emergency Fund. The Clinical Center at NIH,
Building 10, is located at 9000 Rockville Pike Bethesda, MD 20892. Display
cases are located on the ground floor.