Re-Imagined

curated by June LaCombe

During the summer and fall of 2009, visitors to Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens will be met by wildlife created from gestural sketches in steel by Wendy Klemperer; A calling Elk along the entry drive, Wolves on rocky outcroppings, a Mountain Lion crouched on top of a waterfall startling a Caribou below, a Lynx lurking along a dark mossy ledge and Deer drinking from shallow pools. Species extirpated from Maine, (Caribou, Wolves, Mountain Lions, and Elk) are re-imagined with those now common on the Maine landscape.

But these are wild creatures also re-imagined by the artist, taking on mythic qualities and proportions. The animals are larger than life; predators have grown in ferocity, the antlers and racks are abstracted, all reflecting the place the wild holds in our imaginations. And the recycled materials, pulled from industrial salvage piles, give the animals a rough visceral quality. Rusty rebar, metal, saw blades, and nails are given new life in each sculpture.

Wendy Klemperer is a keen observer of animals and their behavior. One can project their next step as they participate with their places. And, the search for the next animal sighting in the woodland gardens sharpens our own observations skills. Her artistic renderings make us more aware of our own relationship with wildlife and the place they hold in our imagination.

June LaCombe 2009

Four sculptures from this exhibition are now part of the permanent collection

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens