Artists:
Cianna Valley and Jack Cram

Studio Quercus presents recent work by printmaker Cianna Valley and sculptor Jack Cram, two young artists for whom this will be a debut exhibit. Valley and Cram, both 2011 grads from the California College of Art, have demonstrated advanced levels of craft and display impressive versatility in works that are sophisticated, provocative, introspective, and fun.

Valley’s work includes astonishingly accomplished aquatint etchings, miniature sculptures and mixed media installations. Her finely detailed aquatints are particularly masterful. Valley’s work poses questions about memory and verisimilitude, challenging our notions of reliability and value.

Cram is similarly inspired by memory, with particular reflections on childhood skewed by adult experience. More playful in concept, but equally adept in execution, Cram’s work includes small mixed media dioramas, large-scale sculptures, and the occasional hand-stitched, well-endowed sock monkey. The work may well come across as ironic, while tinges of deeply personal nostalgia hint at the true depth Cram is after.

Studio Quercus Director Susan Sharman explained why the gallery chose to devote a show to these two artists, saying, “They each have a commitment to their vision and are equipped with extraordinary skills in material manipulation and content development, not often seen in such young, emerging artists.”