Eileen Gladstone, Sculptor
I work in stone and wood, often combining the two. My goal is to preserve the beauty of these materials. My work, whether it is abstract or representational, aims to portray movement, rhythm, and emotion. There is nothing more exciting than to come across a stone or piece of wood and hear it “call out to me.” This is how I choose my particular raw materials. Within some material, I first recognize a form or idea and begin the process of subtraction, to reach the final shape. Other raw pieces are chosen because of their particular color, shape, or graining. This discipline is so appealing to me because, at the first stages, it is very physical. As the work progresses, my tools become progressively smaller and more delicate... moving from a compressor with an air hammer, to large handheld hammers and chisels, ending with the very smallest of files and rasps. For me, the process of creating the sculpture is a joy that almost outweighs the exhilaration of that final stroke of the file. I am now finding it rewarding to reach into another medium, transforming my original stone and wood Garden Series into bronze.
Education: Syracuse University, Fine Arts; Kean University, Fine Arts and Interior Design; Art Students League of NY, studied with Lawrence Umbreit at Riker Hill Art Park, NJ, where I maintained a studio for 30 years
Juried Exhibitions: Morris Museum of Arts and Sciences; Salmagundi Club, NY; Summit Art Center, NJ; Arts Judaica; Long Beach Island Foundation of Arts and Sciences; Vered Gallery, NY
Group Exhibitions: Lever House, NY; New Jersey Institute of Technology; Scenic Designer, Hamptons Shakespeare Festival; Schering Plough Corporate Headquarters; Guild Hall, NY; Bloomingdale’s Sculpture Garden, NJ; Summit Art Center; Watchung Art Center
Awards and Honors: Salmagundi Club, Best in Show; Summit Art Center Members Show, Best in Show; Watching Art Center, Best in Sculpture
Professional Memberships: Salmagundi Club, Allied Artists of America
Works in corporate and private collections: Bronze in Dallas Children’s Arboretum, Bohler Engineering, NJ, NY, CT, FL