See the Light: Illuminated Artwork to be Showcased in West Valley Arts Council Exhibition Through September 12

Photos Courtesy of West Valley Arts Council

At most art exhibits light is shined on the art. At Illuminate, the light is integral to the work itself.

“Illumination refers not only to the way light is used to create the work, it also addresses what we hope people will feel from seeing it,” observes award-winning sculptor Kevin Caron, whose glowing large-format, 3D-printed sculptures will be featured in the show along with artwork from Phoenix artist Larry Ortega and Mesa artist Ceri Jones.
Sponsored by the West Valley Arts Council, the exhibition runs through Sept. 12 at WVAC’s Arts HQ Gallery at 16126 N. Civic Center Plaza in Surprise.

“People really ‘get’ these lighted sculptures,” says Caron, a Phoenix-based artist known for the 3D-printed and metal sculptures that he creates for public and private places. A pioneer in the field, Caron has been printing large-scale 3D-printed sculptures on his 8-foot-tall Gigante 3D printer for eight years and fabricating metal sculpture for 20. His simply complex sculptures can be seen in public and private places across the United States as well as overseas.
“I’ve created some very special pieces for this exhibit, though,” says Caron, who is lighting his translucent sculptures from the inside. Included will be 3-foot-tall SuperSize, a yellow sculpture that reaches for the sky, as well as Wormwood Light and Wormwood Dark, which handle light differently despite being made of the same purple filament.

Other artists include Ortega, a classically trained painter practicing as a self-taught sculptor. His work is created using media that absorbs and animates light and color in the dark; and Jones, who lights her ethereal metal works from the inside to cast shadow and beauty outside.

“The Illuminate exhibition will shed light both literally and metaphorically on new and unexpected ways to look at art,” says Michael Denson, who conceived the show. Denson is now interim executive director of the West Valley Arts Council, which serves to connect communities to art and culture opportunities that encourage beauty, unity, and positive human connection.

For more about the exhibition, visit westvalleyarts.org, or call 623-584-2626.