JOANN TANZER: A Life in Progress: Enamels, Drawings, and Paintings

Joseph Clayes III Gallery

JOANN TANZER

A Life in Progress: Enamels, Drawings, and Paintings

February 2–March 9, 2002

When asked to elaborate about her work, La Jolla artist JoAnn Tanzer explained, “I work with vitreous enamel on steel, a material that is terse, exacting, and demanding. The surface is glass and the support is tough. I find this crass commercial material speaks for my imagery with precision and exactness. My idiom is energetic and compulsive. The forthright pull of the surface reflection has the much-needed shine that I respond to with vigor. The ‘happenings’ that occur in the furnace add mystery to the process of painting, where one is in charge, but the material also takes on a character of its own. I feel that painting on steel with vitreous enamel allows me space to explore imagery that expresses my reaction to the physical systems of light and change.” This exhibition included work from throughout JoAnn’s career, and consisted of enamels, drawings, paintings and sketchbooks.