Just about the time Joni Mitchell penned her immortal tribute to the 1970s era of love and peace, “Woodstock,” Harrisburg art visionary, Maya Schock founded the Doshi Gallery.
“Fields” by Beverlee Lehr
The gallery, a major force of the Susquehanna Art Museum umbrella, had rented space over the years and longed for a permanent home. History informs us that SAM clearly found its place, anchoring a large section of the 1400 block of N. 3rd Street. A special exhibition now showing in the main lobby through April 6 honors the legacy of Maya Schock in its “Doshi Tribute; Beverlee Lehr, Jo Margolis and Mary Hochendoner.” These kindred spirits share their exceptional talents as a potter, (Lehr), a paper practitioner (Margolis) and painter (Hochendoner). To quantify them as such seems far too elementary as each creative demonstrates consummate skills in their chosen field as their reach extends far beyond any label. In Japanese, Doshi translates to “fellowship, friend, fellow and companion.” This artistic triumvirate offers templates and textures, tangible and tactile, tantalizingly transformative.
“Psalm 2012” by Beverlee Lehr and Jo Margolis
Beverlee Lehr has devoted nearly half a century to mastering her craft as a clay couturier, melting and molding the softness into form far beyond the norm of the familiar. “Creating in clay is an integral part of my life. I love working with soft slabs of clay and making them say something about the shapes I have lived with throughout my life. I am attracted to geometric forms and the curves and valleys of living things. Colors speak to me as well,” revealed the artist, mathematician and scientist as she applies the disciplines of each to her works. At this stage in her career, she is vitally aware of how her creations relate to each other, sparking conversations of visual accord and diplomacy. Her vast experience has imbued Beverlee with insight for the future and reflection of the past leading to the next chapter of “contrast with a fired clay surface,” introducing more delicate materials to the mix. All the elements of geometry and clay coalesce in Lehr’s work titled “Fields.” A topographical map may come to mind in the stunning presentation of a step upon step celadon-colored ceramic composition that forms an equation of exemplary elocution.
The collaboration of Beverlee Lehr’s ceramic “antiquity” aligns esthetically with a work on paper from Jo Margolis in “Psalm 2012.” The ancient text resembles that of Aramaic taking one on an imaginary archeological dig unearthing a long-lost artifact full of depth and meaning. Margolis employs gampi paper, ink and wood to tell a story as old as time. The ethereal piece demonstrates an artistic achievement of the highest order.
“Untitled” by Jo Margolis
Jo Margolis, early on in her graduate studies, developed a love for sculpting in wood and stone, detailing marks of beauty with each indentation she carved. Elevating an elemental extension of prehistoric yet present-day parlance visually arresting, led to a theological exploration of religious texts and the collagraphy attached to centuries-old manuscripts. “I want every mark to matter, the way every cell in a tree grows with purpose, nothing random nor extraneous,” shared Margolis in describing her works on paper. She separates the extraordinary from the everyday, lifting them to art reserved for a pantheon of pattern and presentation. The execution of creating such organic shapes with finely ribbed instruments shows an artist acutely aware of how time treats temporality as an intrinsic property of the object. “My work alternates between carving stone or wood and drawing with a technical pen…the purpose behind all of this mark making; the shapes, forms and textures is to celebrate the efforts we make to understand, to document, and to enrich our world. Pattern, space and shape are the letters, the verbs, and the nouns of my visual world,” divulged the artist. Her work, “Untitled,” is hand-carved cherry wood in a spiral configuration resembling the womb and the cycle of life.
Painter Mary Hochendoner’s roots travel back to Maya Schock, the Doshi Gallery’s founder, where an afternoon conversation and sandwich changed the course of her life. Having experienced big city living in Philadelphia and Chicago, Mary found herself at the crossroads of consideration wondering what her next step was… Maya turned out to be her first teacher as Mary then embraced “color field painting,” which opened the avenue to studies at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in figurative painting and drawing.
“View from the Appalachian Trail” by Mary Hochendoner
Mary takes inspiration from the vista of her own front yard close to the Appalachian Trail and from her travels to Southeast Asia, Europe and Mexico. Both her charcoal drawings and oil paintings have the quintessential quality of trailing off to the ether in a dreamlike state, lending a here-one-moment and gone-the-next element to her works. This artistic effect allows for wide-open interpretations, encouraging the viewer to meditate on meaning. Both paintings and drawings “have a dreamy ambiguity which dances with classic formality. I like to develop imagery which appears and disappears, suggesting the reality of emptiness and the illusion of form,” shared the artist. In her oil on canvas painting, “View from the Appalachian Trail,” Mary captures color with boundless joy from the mountains to the lakes to the forest with an eagle’s eye perspective. Seen as more than a statement of beauty, it makes an environmental edict of a present-day quandary. The trees are deftly depicted in substantive shadow foretelling what may come and is already taking place with the devastation and destruction of our natural landscapes. Optimistically, we cannot take our parks and forests for granted but must appreciate them in their fulness being not only advocates but activists to ensure their future for tomorrow.
Circling back to Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock” over 50 years ago and the Doshi Gallery’s founding in 1972 forms an elliptical evolution of love and peace. Join in the celebration at SAM by April 6 and be enlightened as Joni’s timeless lyrics reveal “but you know life is for learning.” Individually Beverlee, Jo, and Mary are “stardust” and collectively they are “golden” and for this ethereal exhibition of excellence they have truly gotten “back to the garden.”
Reina’s Civic Duty
“Art is not what you were told to see–it is about what you want to feel. My work is a conversation, and expression of emotion and a way to connect with others on a deeper level.” With those expressive words the artist, Reina R76, invites you to an evening of meaningful exchange at the Civic Club of Harrisburg for the March 21 3rd in the Burg. Through discourse and depiction, Reina’s art recipe begins with “vibrant hues,” mixes in “thick layers,” and cooks on all four burners with “dynamic strokes.” The paintings include her iconic “Keystone State” series, which takes a stand against racism. Another grouping provides palliative prescriptions for those who endure domestic violence and suffer from depression. Reina is a paragon of provocation, prodding positive change to better the community and the world at large. The opportunity to meet Reina in person to kick off spring in such style is a surefire bet to find out what makes this artist tick. Mark the date on your calendar, March 21, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Civic Club located at 612 N. Front St. The event is free and open to the public.
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