The Weight of Ash

presented at the Wanamaker House | May 29 - August 5, 2024

Cover image: Susan Lowry, Maps for My Dad Different Ways Home (detail) Left: Susan Lowry Root Cellar, 2020 Ink, found media on Strathmore 33 x 27" $2,400

In The Weight of Ash, artists Susan Lowry, Abbey Stace, and Christine Stoughton explore the essence of transformation and interconnectedness through otherwise uncontrolled spaces. Lowry’s mixed-media pieces reflect a Renaissance-inspired narrative, compressing time and events into a single frame, while embracing the tension between abrupt change and gradual connection. Stace’s practice, rooted in chance and interconnectedness, mirrors life’s serendipitous journey, inviting viewers to ponder the interdependence of nature and personal experience. Stoughton’s art, deeply influenced by Eastern philosophy and her background in psychology and experiences in motherhood, captures the ephemeral beauty of nature’s transformations, celebrating the delicate balance between fragility and resilience. Through their diverse approaches, these artists provide audiences with the space for introspection, where ambiguity and impermanence give way to profound moments of connection and contemplation.

SUSAN LOWRY Working in mixed media affords opportunity dismantling and assembling hybrid surfaces leads to unexpected outcomes. Drawing and painting often serve as a foundation for seemingly discordant, manipulated images. Early work reflects the influence of Renaissance narrative painting, where time and events compress in a single frame.

The theme of simultaneous this and that persists in her current practice. Sequence, framing, and context defy linear thinking. I strive for a degree of awkwardness to heighten emotional or empathetic responses. Themes spring from an urge to find solace in memory and experience while remaining anchored by a connection to place.

Often, themes of abrupt change or gradual awareness are evident.

Left to right: Susan Lowry A Rose, A Snail, A Conversation, 2020 Graphite, found media on Strathmore 33 x 27” $2,200 Susan Lowry Plant Life Mutation, 2019 Graphite, found media on Strathmore 25 x 18.5” $1,600

Opposite page (detail): Susan Lowry Plant Life: There/Here, 2012 Graphite, collage media on Strathmore 25 x 19” $1,600 Right: Susan Lowry Plant Life Progeny, 2019 Graphite, printed media on paper 25 x 19” $1,600

Abbey Stace Stone by Stone, 2024 Plaster, acrylic, oil 14 x 14 x 2” $650

ABBEY STACE Fundamental to my practice is the notion that the world is governed by chance. Inspired by concepts of indeterminacy and interconnectedness I encountered in physics and Buddhism, I have designed a practice based on luck. I begin paintings with only a basic composition. I observe how my chosen materials interact with each other as I engage with the textures, colors and shapes that emerge. For me this mirrors the serendipitous and integral process that is life.

I have designed my practice to be process-oriented because process is all there is. I am interested in how objects in the environment acquire and shed particular characteristics. How do people accrue and evolve personal traits? While these processes appear parallel, all of nature’s materials are interdependent and constantly interacting.

My work considers time as the medium in which transformation occurs and friction as integral to the process.

Though inspired by natural materials and industrial decay, I avoid literal imagery. Ambiguity is fundamental to experience and these pieces often suggest multiple perspectives. I rely on abstraction because I do not want to impose a specific story, concept or object on the viewer. Rather they are invited to make their own associations in connection with a personal trove of memories and experiences. I want the viewer to reflect on their own connection to the interdependent processes that govern our relationships with each other and with nature.

Opposite page: Abbey Stace Imperative, 2024 Plastic, acrylic, oil, sand 14 x 14 x 2” $650 Abbey Stace Fléche, 2021 Plastic, acrylic, oil 30 x 30 x 4” $2,000 Right: Abbey Stace Secret Garden, 2023 Plaster, acrylic, oil 14 x 11 x 2” $650

Left: Abbey Stace Acorns Cup, 2023 Plastic, acrylic, oil 36 x 48” $3,600 Opposite page: Abbey Stace Amber Bridge 2, 2024 Plastic, acrylic, oil, sand 14 x 11 x 2” $650 Abbey Stace Amber Bridge, 2024 Plaster, acrylic, oil, sand 14 x 11 x 2” $650

Opposite page: Abbey Stace Salt and Sea, 2024 Plastic, acrylic, oil, sand 40 x 40” $3,400 Abbey Stace Oggygia, 2024 Plastic, acrylic, oil, sand 40 x 40” $3,400 Right:

Abbey Stace Hour of Silence, 2024 Plaster, acrylic, oil 40 x 40” $3,400

Left: Abbey Stace Baren Rhyme, 2024 Plastic, acrylic, oil 40 x 40” $3,400 Opposite page: Abbey Stace False Waters, 2023 Plastic, acrylic, oil 36 x 36” $3,000

CHRISTINE STOUGHTON Inherent in the making of art is the transformation of a creative impulse into a creative action. In the visual arts this involves a change from the artistic concept to the art object. My work is strongly motivated by this idea of change, both in the making of the work and in the final image. Eastern philosophy, with its honoring of the simple and its focus on change with mindfulness in the present, is a guiding principle for me. My former profession of practicing psychologist and my experience of being a mother has reinforced the view that living life is about honoring change and recognizing impermanence. Thus, the capturing of the ephemeral is essential to my art.

Close observation of the transformation that is inherent in nature, and my interaction with this natural environment, influence my art. The way plants change their form as they grow, the movement of wind and water, and the rhythm of light and shadow inform my work. My art, whether 2D or 3D, often depicts abstracted images moving in an undefined environment. Transitions from internal space to external space, from groundedness to groundlessness, are consistent themes in my work. The work is often presented in an informal manner with the intent of emphasizing the aesthetics of the everyday.

Simple, easily accessible and often natural objects are my materials of choice. The goal is always to maintain the integrity of the material while transforming it in a manner that allows the artist and the viewer to experience it in a new and often surprising way. The materials used, the lines drawn, the images portrayed, generally have the expressive quality of fragility and vulnerability. The challenge for this artist is to express an emotional sensitivity in the work, while maintaining a substance, an “Itness” that allows it to withstand the passing of time. This challenge reflects my view of human development, the need to remain emotionally open while being strong enough to go the distance.

Christine Stoughton On the Wind, 2020 Mixed media on frosted mylar 31 x 23 x 1” $800

Left: Christine Stoughton Beach Chaff, 2019 Mixed media drawing on archival paper 36 x 28 x 1” $1,500 Opposite page: Christine Stoughton Blue Qualia #5, 2010 Mixed media on archival paper 31 x 23 x 1” $1,100 Christine Stoughton Blue Qualia #1, 2010 Mixed media on archival paper 31 x 23 x 1” $1,100

Opposite page: Christine Stoughton In the Breeze Monotype, graphite on archival paper 25 x 20.5 x 1” $800 Christine Stoughton Caught #1, 2016 Monotype with pencil on archival paper 11 x 9 x .75” $550 Right: Christine Stoughton Rising, 2019 Monotype with graphite on archival paper 24 x 13.5” $550

1400 N. American Street, suite 314 Philadelphia, PA (215) 235.3405 www.inliquid.org Open Wednesday - Saturday, 12- 6pm & by appointment For inquiries and appointments, contact (215) 235-2405.

Wanamaker House 2020 Walnut Street (Lobby + 33rd Floor) Philadelphia, PA 19103

All works in the show are available for purchase on Artsy.