The Vivid The Varied The Vivacious Sculpture of Beth Cavener Stichter

It was love at first sight. That sight was an ad in “Art in America” magazine featuring one of her addictive clay sculptures; promoting and introducing me to her work. The works are almost exclusively animals that are realistic, whimsical, provocative and alluring. They are Freudian in nature, they droop and cling and hang like a Dali time piece. They are also extrodinariarly unique in their invention. She amazes us with her distinctive and highly unusual style. She is among the most imaginative artist of our times; she is truly marvelous. She is by the way Beth Cavener Stichter.   

As viewers we can look, study, peruse for hours on a given piece of art. It can be a selected work or a body of work in question. We come to conclusions. After all this; many times the artist’s themselves are the best at describing what they do. Miss Stichter is no exception in this:

Both human and animal interactions show patterns of intricate, subliminal gestures that betray intent and motivation. The things we leave unsaid are far more important than the words we speak out-loud to one another. I have learned to read meaning in the subtler signs; a look, the way one holds one's hands, the tightening of muscles in the shoulders, the incline of the head, the rhythm of a walk, and the slightest unconscious gestures. I rely on animal body language in my work as a metaphor for these underlying patterns, transforming the animal subjects into human psychological portraits.

Beth Cavener Stichter

The counter culture has embraced Miss Stichter’s work in a large way. The sometimes erotic and compellingly different approach to the form is hardly main-stream as reflected in the attention of “Juxtapoz” magazine and the vastly similar “High Fructose” and their readers. The dedication to craft and artistry is not missed again by more “High Brow” publications like the International Sculpture Center’s monthly “Sculpture” and the eternal “New York Times.” 

Her combination of human and animal, anthromorphic forms are much to her credit as she shakes up all our perceptions. She continues to grow creatively as she looks deeper into the self and the Id as well as the collective conscience. I look forward to seeing her work soon in person. Perhaps; in the future, even a conversation with this artist of phenomenal feats. An artist of works to love.