Melissa Engler, artist
Two sculptors, Jim Cooper and Melissa Engler, are showing new work at Mica Gallery.
Engler is a wood sculptor with a BA in Sculpture from UNC Asheville. She also trained in studio furniture at Haywood Community College, where she focused on creating functional pieces that had a sculptural presence. Her new body of work at Mica Gallery focuses on nature and declining biodiversity. “Each piece tells a story about our relationship to the natural world and much of my work mourns the drastic loss of biodiversity that we are experiencing in our lifetimes,” she says.
In her sculptures, Engler uses domestic woods that are locally available to lessen the environmental impact, and she also chooses wood with a subtle grain structure to act as a blank canvas for her work. “Maple is one of my favorites because it holds carved and burned details well and provides a light-colored base layer for any paints that are applied,” she says. Most of her works are cut initially on a bandsaw and then refined using rotary carvers and hand tools. “Burned lines or textures are done after the form is refined and then paint is added in the final steps,” she says.
Jim Cooper, artist
Cooper has a background as a jeweler and blacksmith and established a foundry in Birmingham, AL, where he cast lead fountains and statues. His career also includes time at The Metal Museum in Memphis as a blacksmith, curator, teacher, exhibit preparator and conservator. Throughout his career, most of Cooper’s work has been functional—cups, pans, utensils, knives and fences. “Now in my late sixties, I have the luxury of time to make work simply to satisfy my curiosity,” he says. “My current work is the product of personal exploration. I enjoy interpreting the movement, textures and colors of plants and flowers. I’m also fascinated by ancient metalwork, which is often embellished with plant and floral motifs. These are what influence and inspire me.”
One item on display is a small table that is made from discarded materials, part of Cooper’s ongoing series of work focused around recycling. “Steel bars from a scrapyard are worked into natural curves one might see in vines or moving water,” he says. “These support a lovely slab of walnut, unwanted because of a large crack in the wood. Combined, these castoff materials compose a striking piece of contemporary furniture.”
Mica is an artist-run gallery of fine art and contemporary craft located at 37 North Mitchell Avenue, Bakersville. For more information, visit MicaGalleryNC.com, or find the gallery on Facebook at Mica Gallery NC or on Instagram @micagallerync.
