(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 1986) Dayton, Chandler Rae
The pieces in this exhibition are abstractions of figures in landscapes. Although some of the forms suggest physical places, the abstraction of the forms is intended to draw-the viewer into a private, interior place, or landscape. The references to the figure are contained in the gesture of the whole piece, as well as in the repeated use of the oval volume (the head, center of perception) and the tubular volumes (the limbs which act on perception). The gesture of the whole piece is orchestrated to allude to specific interior experiences which are also universal; that of conflict, joy, and eros. Conflict is a condition of human experience because of ignorance, or our inability to know. Joy is the fundamental state of being; the wellspring of all life forms. Eros is the condition of life's longing for itself; love. In addition, some of the pieces exhibit a humor which is self-mocking.
