Vessels in Time:  Summer Salon show and Gallery Talk An exhibition highlighting icons, symbols and architectures of antiquity as interpreted in intaglio prints and handmade paper works by Margaret Kennard Johnson, etchings by Jörg Schmeisser and mixed medium paintings by Sally Spofford.

Shell © 1996 Jörg Schmeisser Once Upon Another Time © 1999 Margaret Kennard Johnson

Exhibit at The Williams Gallery 8 Chambers Street, Princeton NJ Mary Lou Bock - Curator July 17 - August 17, 1999 Opening reception and Gallery Talk Saturday July 17th 5-7pm. Summer Hours: Wed. - Sat., 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM & by appointment.

Vessel © 1997  Sally Spofford Zustant © 1991  Jörg Schmeisser

About the Aritists:

Margaret Kennard Johnson:
Margaret Kennard Johnson, of Princeton New Jersey, received a BFA from Pratt Institute, an MA in Design from the Univ. of Michigan and studied with Joseph Albers at Black Mountain College. She spent over 8 years in Japan and co-authored the book "Japanese Prints Today". She has taught at the Museum of Modern Art and Pratt Institute and is represented in museum collections including the British Museum. Her talents as a educator, speaker ,teacher , and above all as an extraordinary printmaker, have received recognition from around the world.

Of her recent work, "A Long Long Journey" and "Into the Unkown" explore unique expressive characteristic of paper in reaction to embedded materials. She states,

"The possibilities of exploiting different attributes of paper in interplay with each other and with other materials challenges my imagination toward finding new expressive resources intrinsic to this fascinating art form. It is a joy to discover how active a collaborator paper can be when encouraged to show its natural characteristics."

Drawing inspiration from the past, Ms. Johnson attempts to symbolize philosophies of ideas and thought rather than produce representational images.  Veiw Portfollio.

Jörg Schmeisser
Born in Pomerania in 1942, Jörg studied at the Hamburg Fine Art Academy and took his post-graduate work at the Fine Arts University of Kyoto, Japan. He moved to Canberra, Australia in 1978 to head the Printmaking Workshop of the Australian National University, Canberra School of Art.

Schmeisser began his extensive travels in 1965 with a trip through the Middle East. Over the next decades he developed a strong interest in archaeology while working in a number of digs. The faithfulness to form and detail that he developed while drawing for archaeological publications is still a hallmark of many of his recent works. He has continued to travel extensively throughout Europe, Asia, the Mid-East, Australia and the United States.

Schmeisser’s etchings, often done ‘in situ’, display a reverence for the forms and intricacies of nature and culture married to an unrivaled technical prowess. Many of the images demonstrate the artist’s fascination with landscape and architecture, while others portray with great accuracy objects observed in nature. His prints often include descriptive text, usually in German, which becomes an integral part of the composition.

"The work of German-born artist/printmaker, Jörg SCHMEISSER is a graphic tribute to the wonder and mystery of all facets of existence."

(Profile by Eric Denker)

Sally Spofford
Ms. Spofford graduated from Swarthmore College with High Honors and studied at The Art Students League and The China Institute, both in New York City. Her work is in the collections of The Newark Museum and The New Jersey State Museum, Newark Academy in Livingston, NJ. and in many corporate and private collections.  View Portfollio.

Questions posed by the origins of the worlds cultures and history have taken Spofford sweeping through other cultures looking for the common denominators . Of her artistic interpretation of ancient cultures She notes:

"I keep returning to the elemental shapes of "vessels" through the ages . Vessels can be utilitarian, ornamental, and magical. They have been made out of everything from pine needles to platinum. I have used shapes from classical Greece, ancient Chinese bronze, the Maya, Berber butter jars, etc."

Home Page | Artwork  | Framing | Restoration | Shows & Events | Online Store | Master Works | Pioneers | Princeton
Willard Page Collection | William Bock's Fine Art Catalog Rasoniee
 Contact Us | About Us | Art Links