By snoadmin
The Max L. Gatov student art gallery is host to Gabriela Perozo’s “The Willow Tree: A journey through the cycle of life from the feminine perspective,” at the annual Bachelor of Fine Arts – Ceramics senior show this week.
“I chose to do something that was meaningful to me,” said Perozo, senior ceramics major. “Everyone has their own image of this tree. We see it in movies and this is my image of it.”
Roots rise up the trunk and flowers hang down from the top of the sculpture. It displays individual bulb-shaped ceramic pieces that create the leaves, flowers and foliage of a real willow tree. The trunk is decorated with texture and direction in the clay.
Perozo started her project in July 2010, moving 500 pounds of clay, plaster and other mixed media to create the largest project she has ever sculpted. The sculpture has nearly 2,000 clay flowers that she made individually using the ceramic wheel.
The larger-than-life sculpture is isolated in a section of the Gatov gallery where its enormity is revealed as soon as someone stands by it and has to look straight up at it, as if it were a real tree and not a sculpture. The grey of the bark and dark colors in the foliage remind spectators that even things that appear glum have body, texture and detail.
“[The color was inspired by] the idea that not all things are beautiful, not all things are pastels,” Perozo said. “Some things are scary and mysterious.”
“The Willow Tree” was finished in place in the gallery on opening day because it had so many individual parts, it couldn’t be put together before moving into the gallery. The 12-foot tree would not have fit through the door if it were finished, Perozo said.
The piece offers each of its viewers the chance to contemplate the significance of the sculpture on their own. Perozo said that she hopes people look at “The Willow Tree” and try to find their own meaning to the piece. She left her description of the piece vague, so people could preserve their own vision of “The Willow Tree.”
“To me, it represents the cycle of life,” Perozo said. “‘The Willow Tree’ represents the value of life. It’s not all perfect, but there is still beauty in it.”
As children, most people want to grow up, find the perfect job, have the perfect home and raise a family. Perozo’s idea when creating “The Willow Tree” is that dreams don’t always come true, but that’s the cycle of life. It inspires people to make the best out of what they have, even though it will not always be perfect, lavish or beautiful.
Perozo’s collection typically consists of small, intricate ceramic wall pieces in shades of pink and powdered blue. The big difference in “The Willow Tree” is the scale of the sculpture and the color. She tries to open up a window to a new world with her flower pieces and unconventionally “jumps off the wall.”
“I think it is amazing. The scale, without relinquishing any attention to detail, is impressive” said Kristina Moore, Cal State Long Beach alumna. “To make something ceramic of this size so dynamic, with so many individual parts, so much attention to detail, it demands attention.”
The student art galleries are open from noon – 5 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday; and noon – 7 p.m. on Thursdays between buildings FA2 and FA3 at CSULB.
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