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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Twenty Six : Using reflections to transform reality > Flute, Herberger Theatre Center, Phoenix, Arizona, 2007
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07-MAY-2007

Flute, Herberger Theatre Center, Phoenix, Arizona, 2007

A bronze statue of a flute player, created by Arizona sculptor John Henry Waddell, plays its tune just outside the doors of this theatre. Although the statue stands in the deep shadows of trees directly overhead, the bright sunlight on the surrounding plaza is reflected back on to the bronze face, creating golden highlights that express both the beauty and value of music. I love to work with reflected light. It is usually softer and warmer than direct light, and it can produce images of great beauty, even at mid-day. The trees, meanwhile, are reflected in the doors of the theatre. This green reflection offers the statue a vivid background, and that color also symbolizes the vitality existing within the theatre. Ultimately, this image expresses meaning through two entirely different kinds of reflections: sunlight reflecting golden highlights on to the face of the statue, and the softly focused green trees reflected in the glass door of the theatre.

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Phil Douglis13-May-2007 06:03
Glad you feel the presence of the sculptor here, Jenene. The artist, John Henry Waddell, as certainly left his presence on it, and the light and contrasts here underscore that presence.
JSWaters13-May-2007 03:38
I'm so struck by the artist's hand in this sculpture. It's heavy and obvious - the contrast between the soft, ethereal green light background and the clay fingerprints on the sculpture is hard to reconcile. Maybe it suggests more about the input of an artist on a particular piece, be it music, sculpture or architecture, and less about the affect of a single artist on a genre.
Jenene
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