"Our earth is not a stable entity; we live on its very mobile surface. The natural world is far from settled but ever changeable"
UNDERTOW
Water flows, seas rise, rivers flood and/or dry. Land is altered as a result of the natural movement of waters, wind, and seismic activity, and, we now know, with the intervention of humankind. The surface of the earth has many forces that affect it.
My work has been for many years about land and water, with a focus on rising seas and drying rivers exacerbated by global warming.
In this installation, UNDERTOW shown here in four parts, I am suggesting the movement of sand on the coasts of Cape Cod, a. peninsula on the Eastern shore of our country, New England’s coast has been changing over many years; the ocean pushes its bed onto the land, creating new heights, narrows, and masses, as it washes over existing dunes. Wind has caused an average erosion of 2.9 ft. annually along the coast of Cape Cod. Global Warming has increased the intensity of storms, which are eroding the beaches beyond recognition.
Phyllis Ewen is one of the founders of the Brickbottom Artists Building in Somerville, where she has a studio. Her work has been exhibited extensively and is in many public collections, including the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, The Boston Public Library, Harvard and MIT, the Decordova Museum and Sculpture Park, and in numerous corporate and private collections.
In Ewen's Sculptural Drawings, she explores the rising seas and drying rivers affected by global warming. Her recent series, LAND AND WATER, was recently featured in the Spotlight Gallery at Lesley University, College of Art and Design; and is now shown at the Rekjanes Art Museum in Iceland in 2016 - 2017.
Studio visits are by appointment or during Open Studios in November.
You can see more of her work at www.phyllisewen.com
About the Inside-Out Gallery
Initiated in 2009, The Inside-Out Gallery is located in the CVS Window in Davis Square, a unique space that allows the public to view an eclectic array of works from artists and local organizations each month. The mission of the Somerville Arts Council is to cultivate and celebrate the creative expressions of the Somerville community. Through innovative collaborations and quality programming we work to make the arts an integral part of life reflective of our diverse city.